Category: Paint-Outs

Join us in Celebrating! Bohlin Garden Paint-Out July 13, 2013

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Talk about talent!  Long-time Nature Artists’ Guild member, Laverne Bohlin, is an instructor in The Morton Arboretum’s Botanical Art program , teaches at the Peninsula School of Art in Door County, Wisconsin, and her paintings are widely exhibited and collected around the country.  We are lucky enough to exhibit Laverne’s paintings in each of our Nature Artists’ Guild exhibits, and they are appreciated by all.

In addition to all of the above, Laverne also happens to be a skilled landscape designer and gardener. She teaches numerous classes on Landscape Design at The Morton Arboretum, and we have just learned that Laverne’s personal garden will be featured in the upcoming July/August 2013 issue of Chicagoland Gardening magazine!  The issue should be on the newsstands in June, and we can’t wait to see it.

Let’s help celebrate Laverne’s wonderful news by joining her in her garden, which she has been kind enough to share with all the members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, for a paint-out on July 13, 2013.Laverne Bohlin Garden Feel free to drop in any time between  10 am and 4 pm.  There is no need to RSVP, and light refreshments will be served.   

It will be a great chance to not only paint or sketch a lovely garden, but to spend some time getting to know your fellow artists in a casual and fun setting.  Member Carol Jean Rogalski has seen Laverne and Pete Bohlin’s garden and claims that they apparently know Jack (of the beanstalk fame) because the garden surely has its origins in some kind of magical seeds!

A Beautiful Day at a Beautiful Location!

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We couldn’t have asked for better weather for the Mayslake-Peabody Estate paint-out last week.  As you can see above, the estate and grounds were breathtaking, the sky was blue, the grass was green, and our Nature Artists’ Guild members took full advantage of all of that beauty!

Once again, we have our photographer, Kathy Wagner, to thank for the beautiful photographs.

The Beard Garden Paint-Out June 4, 2013

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Last year’s paint-out at the gorgeous gardens of Susan and Kenneth Beard was a huge success, but became a bit crowded with both artists and photographers attending.  This year, on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, the photographers of the Morton Arboretum Photographic Society will be attending from 7:30 until 9:30 am, and the Nature Artists’ Guild members will have the garden to themselves from 9:30 am until 12:00 noon.

The Beard garden has been featured in Chicagoland Gardening magazine, in recent features in the  Sunday Magazine of the Chicago Tribune, and Crain’s Chicago Business  and is included in the Garden Conservancy’s “most beautiful gardens in America”.

The peonies are scheduled to bloom for us, and the Beard’s collection of hosta is legendary, so RSVP early to ensure your spot, as attendance will be limited to 12 in each group.  Please RSVP to Carol Jean Rogalski if you would like to attend.  You can find her contact information in your Yearbook.

The Beard’s 3-acre garden, featuring over 300 varieties of hosta, as well as annuals, perennials, a woodland, shrubs and groundcovers, is located at 3711 Madison , Oakbrook, IL.

The following photos are from the 2012 paint-out at the Beard garden.  Thank you to Kathy Wagner for the photographs!

New Paint-Out Opportunity – Mayslake Peabody Estate on May 14, 2013

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We have added a new location to our Paint-Out schedule this year.  On May 14, 2013, Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to enjoy and paint or sketch the grounds of the beautiful and historic Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St. , Oak Brook, IL from 9 am until 12:30 pm.  You can view some photographs on their website to get a sense of the striking architecture and gardens you’ll find there.

Please let Carol Jean Rogalski know if you plan to attend.  You can find her contact information in your Yearbook.    Park in the main lot, proceed through the blue door into the estate, and then left to the terrace and lawn.

Don’t Forget Your Pith Helmet!

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You may be sitting within feet of a pride of lions.  You may be looking into the eyes of a leopard.  You could even find yourself staring down a skunk!

Yes, you guessed it!  The Nature Artists’ Guild is going to Jurica.  Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, located on the second floor of the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL  60532, will be the site of an upcoming expedition (paint-out) for brave Nature Artists’ Guild members.

Photo Credit Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum
Photo Credit Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum

This year’s paint-out will take place on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.  No RSVP is necessary – you can drop in any  time between 9 am and 12 pm, but you’ll want to get there early to allow yourself enough time to sketch, paint or photograph some of the more than 10,000 specimens in the collection.  The museum has even added a new permanent exhibit featuring rocks and minerals.

The museum curators have confirmed that are expecting us and will be there to let us in, so no safaris in search of the elusive door key will be necessary this year!

For more information, please check out their website, http://benuscience.org/museum/index.php.

 

Braving the Weather

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Those members who braved the weather last evening to attend the program featuring artist Scott Harding were treated to a wonderful demonstration! Scott began an oil painting one of the most recognized (and hugged) trees of The Morton Arboretum, and we all were able to watch the painting transform before our very eyes.   Scott has promised to send a photograph of the finished painting, and we will post it when he does.  Below are a few photographs from the evening, taken by our Nature Artists’ Guild photographer, Kathy Wagner.

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While you’re here, please check out our Member News page (click on the tab at the top of your screen).  We can all be proud of (and inspired by) being part of such an ambitious and talented group of artists!

Upcoming events for the Nature Artists’ Guild include an exhibit at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center (prospectus due by February 22, 2013), the Spring Exhibition at The Morton Arboretum (prospectus due by February 23, 2013), a paint-out at Orchids by Hausermann on February 12, 2013 (contact Carol Jean Rogalski to RSVP), and  heading into early March, a program featuring Carol Jean Rogalski and the art of Illumination (March 07, 2013) and a paint-out at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum  on March 12, 2013 (more details to come very soon).

Our Annual Day in the Tropics is Coming Soon!

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One of our most popular annual paint-outs is scheduled this year for February 12, 2013 from 9 am until 12:30 pm. Where would we possibly want to hold a paint-out in the middle of February?  Hausermann Orchids’ showroom and greenhouse, of course!

Orchids by Hausermann, Inc.  is the largest orchid grower in the Midwest, and each year, fifteen members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are able to take this trip to the tropics without any of the hassles of traveling!  The showroom and huge greenhouses of Hausermann’s are warm, bright, and filled with gorgeous orchids of every shape, size and color.   One lucky participant will even win a certificate for a free orchid to take home with them!

The spots fill quickly, so please contact Carol Jean Rogalski (you can find her contact information in your Yearbook) to reserve your place in the sun (or at least warmth).   

Orchids by Hausermann, Inc. is located at 2N134 Addison Road, Villa Park, IL  60181.

Please visit their website at www.orchidsbyhausermann.com to view some stunning photos and read more about the art of growing orchids!

Update

The word is that the paint-out was a huge success, so please enjoy these photographs contributed by some of the attendees!   The winner of the orchid was Irene Gintilas, and the photo she has shared with us is included in the slideshow.

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The Nature Artists’ Guild Starts Planning for the New Year!

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Great news!  The board and committee members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are already busily planning some of next year’s events, and we have a sneak peek of some that are coming up within the next few months!

Our first program of the new year will feature artist Scott Harding, on February 7, 2013.  Of course, we’ll have our special exhibit at Downers Grove Library in January, we’ll be visiting Hausermann’s Orchids for a paint-out in February,  and we can look forward to a fascinating presentation by one of our own members, Carol Jean Rogalski, at our March meeting.

There is also talk of a “open studio” event at Thornhill, where natural objects will be provided as subject matter, and an instructor will be on-hand for questions or assistance.

Please check your next issue of the Quarterly or check back here in the upcoming months for all the details.

A Wonderful Morning at The Beard Garden!

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Carol Jean Rogalski shares this update about this morning’s paint-out at The Beard Garden –

The garden was inviting, the weather was perfect, and the sky was clear in spite of warnings of early showers.  Susan Beard could not have been a more generous hostess, even sharing some grasses and pods and vines with the stragglers, the last ones to leave. She commented that we should see the place in the spring.  Well, I take that as an invitation that we were such good guests that we would be able to return in 2013.  So those who missed it this year can put it on their list for the spring.

Great News!  We will be looking forward to it!  We are also looking forward to seeing more photographs of the garden and the event on the website of the Morton Arboretum Photographic Society (MAPS).

Nature Artists’ Guild and Morton Arboretum Photographic Society at The Beard Garden, 2012