Category: Paint-Outs

As you can see from the photos below, Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st Street, Oak Brook, Illinois, was the location for one of the loveliest paint-outs of last year for the Nature Artists’ Guild.  The weather was gorgeous, the historical home provided a stately background, the lake was picturesque, the flowers were in full bloom, and our Nature Artists’ Guild artists completed the scene that could have been taken right out of an Impressionist painting.

All Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to attend this year’s wonderful gathering on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, from 9 am until noon.  We especially encourage our newer members or members who have not previously attended paint-outs to attend.  This would be a great no-pressure opportunity to try your hand at plein-air painting, sketching, or even photographing, and we think you’ll find your fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members to be friendly, helpful and encouraging.

There is plenty of room for all, so there is no need to RSVP, but if you have any questions, please contact Carol Jean Rogalski, whose contact information you can find in your Yearbook.

Thank you to our event photographer, Kathy Wagner-Selbach for these beautiful photos from last year’s event.

Last year’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at Graue Mill was held late in summer and had to be postponed for a few days because of the heat!  We don’t anticipate that problem for this year’s event, scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, 2014.

There is so much to see and sketch or paint at Graue Mill on Salt Creek in Oak Brook!  Wildlife, a waterfall, and historic buildings are just some of the subjects available for our artists to choose from.  Please take a few minutes to view some photos by clicking on this link to the Graue Mill website.  You’ll also be able to read more about the gristmill (one of only two operating in Illinois), the Underground Railroad, and the history of this fascinating and important location.

Bring your chair, a drink and your art supplies anytime between 9 am and noon on May 13, 2014 and be prepared to enjoy the morning!  There is no need to RSVP.

Graue Mill is located at 3800 York Road, Oak Brook, Illinois.  Please click on the following link for directions.

Our Program and Paint-Out Chairperson, Carol Jean Rogalski, has surpassed even last year’s busy paint-out schedule for Nature Artists’ Guild members!

April 8, 2014 – Joel Oppenheimer Inc., Chicago Illinois

May 13, 2014 – Graue Mill, Oak Brook, Illiinois, 9 am until noon

June 10, 2014 – Mayslake Peabody Estate, Oak Brook, Illinois, 9 am until noon

July 8, 2014 – Garden of Susan and Kenneth Beard, Oak Brook, Illinois, 9 am until noon

August 12, 2014 – Garden of Catherine Donovan, La Grange, Illinois, 9 am until noon

September 9, 2014 –  Garden of Tanner Musso, Hinsdale, Illlinois, 9 am until noon

October 14, 2014 – Lake Marmo, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, 9 am until noon

Details will be forthcoming as each event approaches.  Nature Artists’ Guild members should check their e-mail for more information.

The Lake County Art League Plein Air Group invites members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to join them at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois for a plein air session on Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 9 am until noon. 

The session coincides with the Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual Antiques & Garden Fair ($10 admission) and the Garden Photographic Society’s  Nature in View exhibit, so even if the weather doesn’t lend itself to plein air painting, there will still be much to see and do!  Please click on the above links for more information about these two events.

 Nature Artists’ Guild members should check their e-mail for all the details and directions.  

On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, Nature Artists’ Guild members will make their annual outing to the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University for a morning of sketching, drawing or painting among the thousands of specimens in the museum’s collection.  

The Nature Artists’ Guild has reserved the museum from 9 am until noon, but artists are welcome to stay later if they wish.  Some participants may choose to meet at a local restaurant for lunch afterwards.

The museum is located at 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL.  Please contact Carol Jean Rogalski at if you would like to attend.  You can find her contact information in your Yearbook.

Every year, one of the most anticipated and well-attended paint-outs for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild is the trip to Orchids by Hausermann, 2N134 North Addison Road, in Villa Park, IL.

On Tuesday, February 11, 2014, attendees will meet at about 8 am and spend the next few hours among thousands of blooming orchids that are looking their best just in time to be sketched, drawn, painted or photographed (or even purchased if you’d like to take your model home with you).  One lucky participant will even win a certificate for a free orchid to take home with them.

Attendance is limited to about 15, so please contact Carol Jean Rogalski to save your spot (if you are a new member and do not yet have your Yearbook with Carol Jean’s contact information, please let us know in the comments section below, and we will send you the information).

It’s a wonderful way to spend a cold winter day!  You may want to click on this link to Hausermann’s website for a preview of what you can look forward to.  If you’d like to see more photos of last year’s artists at work, please click here.  All photos from last year are courtesy of Evelyn Grala.