Category: Paint-Outs

Join Us Before January 20, 2014 for a Wonderful Exhibit Opportunity

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Here is a little extra incentive for those who have been considering joining us, but haven’t quite gotten around to doing so.   If you send in your membership dues to the Nature Artists’ Guild by January 20, 2014, you will be eligible to receive a prospectus for participation in our Spring Exhibit.

Our Spring Exhibit will take place from April 4 to April 6, 2014, coinciding with the arrival of many of The Morton Arboretum’s spring blooms!  Just think of all those winter-weary visitors that will be eager to get a glimpse of green, both outdoors on the Arboretum grounds, and indoors at our wonderful exhibit of Nature Art.  Our Nature Artists’ Guild three-day exhibits at The Morton Arboretum normally attract nearly 1000 art and nature-loving visitors.

Of course, your Nature Artists’ Guild membership will also be your ticket to our programs, paint-outs, participation in exhibits (including a new group exhibit at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum this summer) and holiday party.  You will also receive our publication, The Nature Artists’ Quarterly, which features member artwork as well as announcements and articles about Nature Art.  Please click on the following link to view the Nature Artists’ Guild membership application.

The Nature Artists’ Guild board has been busy planning, scheduling and preparing for a busy (and fun) year – check back here soon for more details.

We look forward to meeting you!

We Saved The Best for Last!

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The Nature Artists’ Guild has had some very special paint-outs this year.  From tropical Orchids by Hausermann’s in the winter, to some of the prettiest gardens in the area and the best weather you could ask for in the summer, this year has held some wonderful opportunities for our members.

There is one more paint-out planned for this year, and we have truly saved the best for last.  On October 8, please join us near Parking Lot P27 near Lake Marmo at, where else, The Morton Arboretum.  

Visitors  or “leaf-peepers” will be coming in from all over to see one of the best displays of Autumn color in the area.  Our group will be away from the crowds, tucked beneath the trees surrounding Lake Marmo, doing our best to portray the beautiful scene.

We will meet at 9 am and stay until about noon.  Interested members could also stay for lunch at the Ginkgo Restaurant & Café.  This paint-out is informal, so there is no need to RSVP, and please feel free to come any time between 9 and noon.  

Graue Mill Paint-Out Postponed Until Next Week

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From the website of Graue Mill and Museum,

One summer morning in 1852, Fred Graue entered his mill and turned the wheel that opened the sluice gates outside. Water from Salt Creek rushed into the millrace and the wooden waterwheel began to turn for the first time. It would turn the machinery that would grind grain for the next seventy years.

Today, Graue Mill is the only operating waterwheel gristmill in the Chicago area.

"Graue Mill", © Bill Schauert. Used with permission.
“Graue Mill”, © Bill Schauert. Used with permission.

Carol Jean Rogalski has secured a date for a Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at this historic and lovely site, which is owned and maintained by the Forest Preserve District of Dupage County. Our paint-out is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, September 17, 2013 from 9 am until 1 pm.  Please contact Carol Jean if you would like to attend.  You can find her contact information in your Yearbook.  The address for Graue Mill is 3800 York Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523.

We’d like to extend a special “thank you” to two members of the Morton Arboretum Photographic Society (MAPS), Bill Schauert and Bob Webster, for the wonderful photos.

"Fishing at Graue Mill", © Bill Schauert. Used with permission.
“Fishing at Graue Mill”, © Bill Schauert. Used with permission.
"Graue Mill", © Bob Webster. Used with permission.
“Graue Mill”, © Bob Webster. Used with permission.

Butterflies and Birds at Wildwood

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We’ve had some beautiful weather lately, and apparently we are not the only species enjoying it!  According to Nina Koziol, who will be hosting Nature Artists’ Guild paint-outs this Saturday and next Tuesday, she has spotted Giant Swallowtails, Pipevine Swallowtails, a few Monarchs, and Red-Spotted Purples, as well as Hummingbirds.

Red-Spotted Purple, Photo credit Wikipedia
Red-Spotted Purple, Photo credit Wikipedia

Nina is looking forward to hosting our paint-out, and will even be offering us some light refreshments!  She also wants to let us know that there is plenty of parking along the road across the street from her home and gardens.   Scroll down this page to see more information and some photographs of Wildwood.

If you would like to attend, please contact Carol Jean Rogalski, whose contact information you will find in your Yearbook.  

Wildwood Awaits! New Paint-Out Opportunity on August 17 and August 20, 2013

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You may know Nina Koziol as a garden writer for the Chicago Tribune and Chicagoland Gardening, as well as a speaker and teacher at the Chicago Botanic Garden and The Morton Arboretum.

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission
Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Now we will be lucky enough to experience Nina’s gardening skills in person, as she has so generously offered to open her personal garden, Wildwood, (also the name of the gallery in Lockport, IL owned by Nina and her husband, http://www.WildwoodGallery.com) on two separate mornings to members of the Nature Artists’ Guild for painting, sketching and photographing!

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission
Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Nina’s gardens take inspiration from her grandparents’ garden in Essex, England, and include flower and shrub borders, edible and container gardens, and judging from the photos on Nina’s website, www.thisgardencooks.com, some fascinating creatures as well!  Not all of them will be present for our paint-out, but Nina promises there will be “hummingbirds and butterflies galore”!

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission
Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Our members are invited to share Nina’s garden on either Saturday, August 17 or Tuesday, August 20, 2013, from 9 am until 1 pm.  The address is 11925 Ford Road, Palos Park, IL, and Nina has even been kind enough to offer light refreshments!

Please let Carol Jean Rogalski know on which of the two dates you’d like to attend (or both, if space permits, but please indicate your first choice).  You can find Carol Jean’s contact information in your Yearbook.

Better Homes and Gardens comes to Wildwood!

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Exciting news!  We have it on good authority that some photographers from a Better Homes and Gardens specialty publication are scheduled to be present at Nina Koziol’s Wildwood garden on the same day as one of our Nature Artists’ Guild paint-outs (scheduled for August 17 and August 20 – see earlier post).

Don’t get ready for your close-up just yet, though.  We are waiting for some details – we have the “where”, but still need the “who, what, why, and when. “   We’re not sure yet whether our participants will be included in any of the photos,  but be assured that if you would rather not be included, you can still attend the paint-out.   The photographers will obtain a photo release from anyone who may appear in any of their photos.

As soon as we get more details, we will share them with all of our members!  Please remember to RSVP to Carol Jean Rogalski if you would like to attend either of the paint-outs (you’ll find her contact information in your Yearbook).

Some Nature Artists’ Guild Member Artwork

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Thanks to our Nature Artists’ Guild photographer Kathy Wagner, you may have already seen the gorgeous photos from our recent paint-out at Susan and Kenneth Beard’s garden.   We thought you might also enjoy a few wonderful sketches and drawings from some of the paint-out participants.  Included here are an ink drawing by Nancy Wu, two oil paintings by Linda Skisak, two watercolors by Connie Devendorf, a watercolor by Karen Johnson, a watercolor by Paulette McDermott, and a watercolor by Carol Jean Rogalski.  Please click on the thumbnails of the artwork to see larger versions.

Enjoy!

Remember to Make the Most of Your Nature Artists’ Guild Membership

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We are so excited to welcome  many new members to the Nature Artists’ Guild this year!  We just wanted to check in with all our members, the brand new ones, as well as those that have been around a while, to make sure everyone is making the most of their membership.

Remember, your membership entitles you to –

  • Attend formal meetings (the next one will be in August, and will feature three of your talented fellow members sharing some of their favorite techniques in various media)
  • Attend paint-outs at some great places (there is one coming up in July at Laverne Bohlin’s wonderful garden, and more are being added all the time)
  • Participate in Nature Artists’ Guild exhibitions (either at The Morton Arboretum, where up to a thousand visitors will view your artwork in one weekend, or at various outside venues)
  • Attend workshops (to help create items for fundraising and to learn new skills from fellow artists)
  • Contribute artwork or articles to our quarterly publication, The Nature Artists’ Quarterly
  • Contribute artwork to the annual Nature Artists’ Guild desk calendar

There are also many opportunities for just having fun with your fellow artists, whether by attending a “field trip” to somewhere interesting,  helping to create our annual Scarecrow for The Morton Arboretum,  volunteering on one of the committees or attending the Holiday Party!

Please check the Important Dates tab above to see our current schedule of events.

What a Pretty Paint-Out!

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Once again, the weather and the garden couldn’t have been lovelier for the Nature Artists’ Guild 2013 Paint-Out at Susan and Kenneth Beard’s garden in Oakbrook, IL.  Please enjoy these gorgeous photos contributed by Kathy Wagner.  We thank the Beards for so graciously sharing their garden with us.

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