Category: Paint-Outs

Looking Back at 2024 with the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Click on image for a sample of images and list of posts from 2024.

2024 was filled with programs and paint-outs, exhibits and demonstrations, gatherings and artwork, and friendship and fun for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.

The Guild is hoping to welcome back all of its current members, as well as new ones, for even more in 2025. (Memberships are for the calendar year, so joining or renewing by January 1 ensures receiving all the benefits for the year.)

Please enjoy this small sample of images from 2024 (or scroll through the website or visit the Member Artwork pages for many more).

  • Downers Grove Library exhibit 2024
  • Diamonds of Winter detail, Dale Olsen
  • Field Museum paint-out
  • Field Museum paint-out
  • Claudia Lane presentation
  • Orchids by Hausermann paint-out
  • Great Horned Owl, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
  • Spring Exhibit poster 2024
  • Rachel Davis presentation
  • Jurica-Suchy Museum paint-out
  • Goldfinch, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
  • Rachel Davis presentation
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Jewels of Spring, copyright Beth Berry
  • Wild Bergamot, copyright Lisa Kanellos
  • Spring 2024 Artists’ Card Collection
  • Daffodil Glade, copyright Yvonne Buckley
  • Lilacia Park paint-out
  • Aurora Public Art exhibit postcard
  • Lilacia Park paint-out
  • Cicada pendant detail, copyright Karen A Johnson
  • Ink demonstration, Nancy Wu
  • Glazing demonstration by Dale Olsen
  • Aurora Public Art exhibit
  • Private Garden paint-out
  • Anderson Japanese Gardens paint-out
  • Nature Journal Pages class by Sandra Wilcoxon
  • Grand Garden paint-out
  • Wine and Art Walk
  • Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum poster
  • Cantigny paint-out
  • Presentation by Don Widmer
  • Presentation by Don Widmer
  • Autumn events montage
  • Morning Light 3, copyright Dale Olsen
  • Trees exhibit
  • Trees at Sunset, copyright Marlene Vitek
  • Three Fall Maples, copyright Maggie Capettini
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Yellowstone Tree Root detail, copyright Jeffrey Zawada
  • Card Exchange
  • 2024 Holiday Card, copyright Suzanne Wegener
  • 2024 Holiday Card, copyright Celia Rodee

The Latest for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have so much to do this Autumn! Here is a quick reminder about some upcoming events and deadlines –

  • On Wednesday, October 2, members of the Guild will meet at the gardens of Cantigny Park for the last paint-out of the season from 9:30 until noon. Registration is recommended, but drop-ins are also welcome.
  • All are invited to the October 3, 2024 presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild at The Morton Arboretum from 7 until 9 pm. Artist Don Widmer will be sharing some of his techniques for creating textural art using paper pulp. There will be no charge to attend this presentation.
  • Guild members who would like to contribute to the gift baskets to be raffled at the upcoming 2024 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum can drop off items at the October 3 meeting. An email was recently sent to members with all the details.
  • Nature Artists’ Guild members who are interested in learning more about next year’s open volunteer positions can speak with current volunteers at the October 3rd meeting after the presentation is over (the attendant at the welcome table can steer members to the appropriate person to answer their questions).
  • Also coming soon – artwork by the 2024 Autumn Exhibit Featured Artist, Dale Olsen, as well as many more of the exhibitors. Details for contributing images will be emailed to all exhibiting artists soon.

Nature Artists’ Guild at the Gardens of Cantigny on October 2, 2024

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Perennial Border, the gardens of Cantigny Park. Photo credit cantigny.org.

On the morning of Wednesday, October 2, 2024, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will visit the renowned gardens of Cantigny Park to paint, sketch, and photograph the early autumn colors.

Located in Wheaton, Illinois, Cantigny Park is the 500-acre former estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune.

In 1967, [famed landscape architect Franz] Lipp began construction of this lush, horticultural masterpiece, which is one of the largest display gardens in the Midwest with more than 160,000 annuals, perennials, ground covers and flowering shrubs and trees.  – Cantigny.org

On October 2, 2024 Guild artists will meet at 9:30 on what will hopefully be a crisp and glorious autumn morning with their art supplies, cameras, and chairs (some chairs and benches are already available at the gardens).

While Nature Artists’ Guild members are welcome to stop by between 9:30 and noon, registration is encouraged in order to be added to the email list for paint-out details and updates. There will be no charge for parking or admission to Cantigny for the paint-out.

Photo credits cantigny.org

A Busy Season for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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2024 Nature Artists’ Guild’s Autumn Exhibit Poster. Poster artwork by Dale Olsen, poster design by Jane Kellenberger. Copies of the exhibit poster and postcard will be available at the October 3 meeting of the Nature Artists’ Guild at the Thornhill Education Center.

What a busy season for the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum!

  • The Guild paint-out at the lovely gardens of Cantigny Park will be the last of the year. Members can register in advance to be placed on an email list for updates, or just drop-in on the morning of October 2, 2024 after 9:30. More about this paint-out coming soon.
  • The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that the speaker for the October 3, 2024 meeting will be paper artist Don Widmer. The meeting will be open to all, free of charge, at 7 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. More to come about Don and his work.
  • Guild members and guests are always welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum (near the cafe) to chat, sketch, or just enjoy a quiet morning with fellow artists any Wednesday between 9 and 11 at a Coffee and Art gathering.
  • Finally, the Nature Artists’ Guild is looking for a few volunteers for positions opening soon. The Social Committee will need a new chairperson for next year, as well as assistance this year in planning and managing the annual holiday party. The Outside Exhibits Committee will also need two new co-chairpersons, who would begin late this year by helping to plan the January 2025 exhibit at the Downers Grove Library, and continue throughout next year. Volunteers for either position will work alongside current committee members until comfortable working independently. For more information, click on the links above for position descriptions or click here to have a board member contact you.

Meteorological Autumn 2024 for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Autumn, Sterling Pond, copyright Dale Olsen. Dale will be the Featured Artist for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2024 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum.

Today’s beginning of meteorological autumn brings more than just a new tongue-twisting term for the Nature Artists’ Guild. It also brings opportunities for creating, exhibiting, and sharing artwork that celebrates the season. Here are a few coming up –

  • The prospectus for the 2024 Autumn Exhibit of Nature Art at The Morton Arboretum will be emailed to all Guild members within the next few days. (There is still time to join the Nature Artists’ Guild and receive a prospectus!) Much more about the exhibit coming soon.
  • The Autumn Quarterly, featuring artwork, photos, and news about and by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be arriving in members’ mailboxes soon, just in time to enjoy along with a favorite beverage and some wonderful weather.
  • The final paint-outs of the year are in September and October. A paint-out at the Grand Garden of The Morton Arboretum is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, September 5, 2024. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to drop by and even bring a friend or two to this paint-out (applicable Arboretum entrance fees will apply). Registration is recommended, but not required. (October’s paint-out will take place at the always-lovely gardens of Cantigny Park – more details in coming weeks.)

Paint-Out at the Grand Garden on September 5, 2024

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Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org (detail).

Nature Artists’ Guild members will visit the Grand Garden at The Morton Arboretum on the morning of September 5, 2024 with their paints and pencils for a fond farewell to summer and a warm welcome to autumn.

Autumn plantings will join the trees, fountains, and remaining summer blooms to create a lovely setting for Guild members to draw, paint, or photograph. The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden opened at the Arboretum last autumn, and was “designed for gathering, relaxation, inspiration, and beauty throughout the year.” – Delights of the Grand Garden, mortonarb.org

Nature Artists’ Guild members and guests are welcome to drop by the paint-out any time between 9:30 and noon on Thursday, September 5, but registration is recommended in order to be notified by email of updates.

Reminders for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Detail of Summer Daydream, fiber art, copyright Patty Koenigsaecker

Some reminders for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum as August 2024 begins –

  • Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who would like to share articles or images of their autumn-inspired artwork in the members-only publication, the Quarterly, should forward them to Jane Kellenberger by August 1, 2024. Guild members recently received an email with details and an email address for submitting.

Paint-Out at the Gardens at Ball August 7, 2024

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The Gardens at Ball, photo credit BallHort.com

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be visiting the Gardens at Ball on the morning of Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 9:30 to noon to paint, draw, photograph, and explore the vast showcase of plants.

Ball Horticultural Company is a leader in all facets of horticulture. Our global family of breeders, research and development teams, suppliers, and distribution companies has a strong presence on six continents in 20 countries.  – Ballhort.com

West Chicago, IL is the home Ball Horticultural Company and the site of the Gardens at Ball, their 13 acres of garden showcases filled with thousands of beautiful plants, including hundreds of their latest innovations in research and breeding.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet at the gardens for a paint-out at 9:30 am on August 7 to enjoy all the color and beauty on display. Registration is required for this event, either online, or by emailing Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee.

Nature Artists’ Guild to Visit Anderson Japanese Gardens on July 18, 2024

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Photo credit Anderson Japanese Gardens

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to join their fellow artists at the renowned Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL to sketch, draw, photograph, and simply enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Guild members will meet at 9:30 am on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at Anderson Japanese Gardens,“one of the highest quality Japanese gardens in the world” after which they can explore the “twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, and koi-filled ponds.”

If interested, attendees can also choose to enjoy a meal at the onsite restaurant, Fresco at the Gardens at 11:30.

Interested Guild members can register for the event here, or by emailing Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee.

(Participants will be responsible for their own transportation and lunch costs. Anderson Japanese Gardens is located approximately eighty miles from Chicago’s southwest suburbs, a drive of about one and a quarter hours. Easels and paints are not permitted. Attendees can visit the Gardens’ website for details.)

A Garden Tapestry Paint-Out July 11, 2024

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Fiber artist Diane Fisher has woven the paths, plants, and other elements of her garden into a wonderful tapestry of values, colors, textures, and temperatures.

Fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to attend a paint-out in Diane’s private garden in Wheaton, IL on Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 9:30 until noon. Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee will provide coffee and her delicious scones.

Interested Guild members can register here or by emailing Celia.