Category: Paint-Outs

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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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.