Artist Phil Schorn, this Thursday, October 2, 2025, at The Morton Arboretum
Category: Programs
Autumn Color Coming Soon!
The colors of autumn are slowly arriving in Chicagoland, and the Nature Artists’ Guild will be there to welcome them with paints, pencils, paper, and canvas.
Coming in October –
- On October 1, the Nature Artists’ Guild will begin accepting renewals and new memberships for 2026.
- Members and guests of the Guild are invited to attend the final paint-out of 2025, at the gardens of Cantigny Park, on October 1. Admission and parking are free, but registration is recommended.
- Artist Phil Schorn will give a presentation about color pencil at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. This program will be open to all, free of charge, on October 2, from 7 to 9 pm.
- Members participating in the 2025 Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum will need to register online or by mail by October 11. Much more about the exhibit and Featured Artist Kathy Steere to come in the next few weeks. Postcards and posters will be available for members to pick up at the October 2 meeting to share with friends, family, and local businesses.
- October 11 will also be the final day for members to register for “Flora,” the 2025 special exhibit of small works honoring the Arboretum.
- Nature Artists’ Guild members and visitors will continue to meet each Wednesday morning at the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum to enjoy the company of fellow artists, as well as the stunning views surrounding them.
Extraordinary Color Pencil by Phil Schorn, October 2, 2025
The Nature Artists’ Guild is pleased to welcome artist Phil Schorn to the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum for a presentation on the evening of October 2, 2025.
Phil Schorn’s award-winning work has been featured in numerous publications, including Colored Pencil Magazine, as well as in group and solo exhibits. He also shares his talents through demonstrations, workshops, outdoor art fairs, classes, and private lessons.
With the color pencil, I have the ability to create the shape, color and detail that I envision in my art. Color pencil is where I find the most comfort in, where the color and detail truly stands out. My art is realistic but done with an artistic approach. I want the viewer to see more than what they thought was there.
I take what is considered ordinary and make it extraordinary.
–Phil Schorn
The presentation, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum, will be held at the Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center on Thursday, October 2, 2025, from 7 until 9 pm. The program is open to all, free of charge, and no registration is required. There will be no charge for parking or admission to the Arboretum for this event. Visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the presentation to be admitted and directed to Thornhill.
Plenty of seating and delicious light refreshments will be provided.
Making the Most of Summer with the Nature Artists’ Guild
Despite what we see and hear on the screens and in the stores, we know that summer is far from over and there is plenty of the season left to enjoy. The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum looks forward to making the most of it!
- Works by more than 30 artists are showcased in the lovely cool and quiet gallery room overlooking the edge of a forest in Into the Wild, the summer exhibit by members of the Guild at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, IL, until August 30, 2025. (Artwork images coming soon.)
- The Guild’s August program will feature talented artist Sarah M Johnson, who will share her insights and methods for painting landscapes in gouache. This event is open to the public, free of charge, on the evening of August 7, 2025, and registration is not required.
- Spots at the popular annual paint-out at the Gardens of Ball are filling quickly! Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet at Ball Horticultural’s spectacular display gardens on the morning of August 8, 2025. Registration is required.
- The Nature Artists’ Guild will have an information table and artist demonstrations inside the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum throughout the Wine and Art Walk on the weekend of August 16 and 17, 2025. Guild members interested in volunteering can learn more here.
- Coffee and Art continues each Wednesday morning inside the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. Artists can also head outdoors to gather reference material for their contribution to this autumn’s special exhibit, Flora! No registration is required for these friendly and informal gatherings.
Landscapes in Gouache with Sarah M Johnson on August 7, 2025
The Nature Artists’ Guild is pleased to announce that their August program at The Morton Arboretum will feature artist Sarah M Johnson and her methods for creating striking landscapes in gouache.
Sarah M Johnson’s career in creating and teaching art includes the use of various media, but on Thursday evening, August 7, 2025, from 7 to 9, she will focus on the many uses of gouache.
Sarah will be demonstrating and explaining the tools and techniques for creating landscapes in two different types of gouache, describing the medium’s advantages for plein air and travel, and sharing examples of her own style, “realism with expressive and painterly elements.”
This program at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum will be free and open to the public. There will be no charge for parking or entrance into the Arboretum for the event, and visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Plenty of seating and light refreshments will be available, and registration is not required.
A Trio of Nature Artists on June 5, 2025
A Nature Artists’ Guild presentation by three talented members will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at The Morton Arboretum and will be open to all, free of charge.
Todd Serrano, whose spectacular drawing is shown above, will be one of three Guild members sharing inspirations, recommendations for tools and supplies, and methods with visitors beginning at 7 pm in the Arbor Room of the Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center.
Program attendees will have the opportunity to watch three short demonstrations in various mediums, ask questions, learn about the artists’ supplies and tools, and closely view a sample of their artwork. Plenty of seating and light refreshments will be provided.
The program is open to the public, free of charge, and there will be no charge for parking or admission to the Arboretum for the event. No registration or ticket is required, and visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program to be admitted and directed to parking for Thornhill.
Good Things in Store for May and June
May and June bring all kinds of good things to Chicagoland! The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum has plans to celebrate with a field trip, preparations for an exhibit, a program featuring three members sharing their talents, a garden paint-out, and weekly Coffee and Art gatherings.
- Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild and guests will receive information this week about an outing to the great city of Chicago to visit two museums currently exhibiting nature art. Participants will visit the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art for Lichen and Coral, a two-person exhibit featuring work by Guild member Sandra Wilcoxon, and Driehaus Museum for an exhibit of work by Rory McEwen, a “20th century botanical master.” Plans for lunch at a nearby cafe will also be shared. Members are welcome to bring guests, and can register here.
- In late May, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive an email with all the details about, and a link to register for, an exhibit at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, IL. The newly renovated center includes a well-lit area on the second floor of the award-winning building, ideal for exhibiting artwork. Guild members’ artwork will be displayed from July 5 to August 30, 2025.
- On Thursday, June 5, 2025, beginning at 7 pm, three members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will share their inspirations, insights, tools, and techniques at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. The program will be open to all, free of charge, and admission fees to the Arboretum will be waived for the event. More details soon. Note – The Guild urgently needs a volunteer to supply snacks for this meeting (costs reimbursed by the Guild). Any member who can help should email Terrie McComb or use this contact form.
- June’s paint-out will be at a private garden blooming with glorious color. Details for the paint-out are being worked out, and Guild members will be the first to know when they are available.
- Coffee and Art gatherings continue to meet each Wednesday morning (weather permitting) after 9. Guild members, their guests, or any other interested artists are invited to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. No registration is required (regular gate fees will apply). The Arboretum will be filled with inspiration from which Guild members may choose to begin their “Flora” artwork!
Spring Marches In with a Program, Paint-Out, and Exhibit
So much to keep Nature Artists’ Guild members busy while awaiting the wonders of spring!
- Joel Sheesley will share “conceptual and practical steps” in landscape painting on March 6, from 7 to 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. The program will be open to all, free of charge, with no registration required. (Posters and postcards for the Guild’s Spring 2025 Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum will also be available for attendees to take home and share with friends, family, and local businesses.)
- A paint-out at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum will take place on the morning of March 6, beginning at 9:30. Coffee and Celia’s homemade muffins will prepare artists for a lovely morning of sketching and painting. Drop-ins are welcome, but registration ensures being contacted with updates.
- The final day for Nature Artists’ Guild members to register for the 2025 Spring Exhibit is only one week from today. Members will need to register online or by mail by Saturday, March 8, 2025 to be eligible to participate. Last year’s Spring Exhibit attracted more than 1300 visitors!
Joel Sheesley – Methods, Understanding, and Meaning in Landscape Painting on March 6, 2025
The Nature Artists’ Guild welcomes celebrated artist Joel Sheesley to The Morton Arboretum on the evening of Thursday, March 6, 2025 for a presentation on his “painting methods, conceptual understanding of, and sense of meaning in landscape painting.”
Learning the Land/Stewarding Beauty: Conceptual and Practical Steps with Joel Sheesley will begin at 7 pm on March 6 at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
Examples highlighting Joel’s extensive studies of and experiences in painting landscapes with meaning, often in natural areas surrounding Chicago, can be found on his website, as well as in his book, A Fox River Testimony.
All are invited to attend this free program, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild. There will be no charge for admission, parking, or entrance into The Morton Arboretum for this event, and no registration is required. Visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the presentation to be directed to the Thornhill Education Center.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is Thinking of Spring
The 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum, featuring artwork by approximately 50 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, is coming soon! More than 1000 visitors are expected to view the 200 or more works of nature art between April 4 and April 6, 2025.
All current Guild members were emailed a prospectus and a link for online registration on February 1, and the final day to register, either online or by mail, is March 8, 2025. New members who join the Nature Artists’ Guild by March 8 will also receive a prospectus and be eligible to register. Much more about the exhibition and Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski, as well as samples of exhibit artwork, will be coming soon.
In other news for the Nature Artists’ Guild –
- A visit to the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum for a paint-out is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, March 6, 2025. Participants can choose from thousands of specimens to sketch, paint, or photograph while enjoying hot coffee and homemade muffins by Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee. Guild members can register for the paint-out here.
- The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that the speaker for the March 6, 2025 evening presentation at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum will be Joel Sheesley. This program, sponsored by the Guild, will be open to all, free of charge, and no registration is required to attend. More about Joel and his work coming soon.
- 2025 Spring Exhibit posters and postcards will be available for attendees at the March 6 evening program. Everyone is also encouraged to share the online version of the poster with their friends and family! (Open and right-click on image for options.)
- Copies of the Spring 2025 Nature Artists’ Quarterly (a members-only publication) will be arriving in mailboxes by the first week of March. The Quarterly includes news, artwork, and articles contributed by members of the Guild, all artfully presented by Publications Chair Jane Kellenberger.
- The Nature Artists’ Guild still needs volunteers to assist with some of the duties of the Social Committee. Most involve a minimum time commitment and are a much-appreciated way to help the Guild. (A volunteer to help with refreshments at the March 6 meeting is needed as soon as possible.)
- This year’s theme for the Guild’s annual display of small works honoring The Morton Arboretum in November (alongside the annual Autumn Exhibit) will be “Flora.” The special project involves members exhibiting up to three unframed 8 x 8-inch works of art created at or inspired by the Arboretum. More details and a registration form to come soon.
- As always, Guild members and visitors are welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum any Wednesday morning (weather permitting) to enjoy time with fellow artists at a Coffee and Art gathering.
Nature Artists' Guild 
