Category: Programs

Stippled Leaf, sketchbook, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission.

Fall sketchbook page, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission

“As a trained plant ecologist, my love of learning and drawing nature is exemplified in my field journals.” – Lara Call Gastinger

Botanical artist and illustrator Lara Call Gastinger will be sharing some of her inspirations, ideas, and techniques for journaling in nature at the October 1, 2020 Nature Artists’ Guild online program.  Lara has received two gold medals at Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art Shows in London and is the Chief Illustrator for the Flora of Virginia Project.

Please click on this link for a short video that features Lara speaking about some of her travels, discoveries, and inspirations as a “documenter of nature” and her joy in combining the love of both art and science in her work.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive an e-mail closer to the program date with specific instructions on how to participate.  

Lara will also be teaching a three-session online workshop for The Morton Arboretum beginning on October 2, 2020.  During the workshop, Lara will “teach pen illustration techniques, plant identification, page composition, and how to add basic watercolor to your pages. During each live session, students will have the chance to interact with the instructor and each other, asking questions and sharing their work”.  Registration for Visiting Artist: Field Journaling with Lara Gastinger opens on September 1, 2020 by phone or though the Arboretum website’s Learn and experience page.  Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild can receive a discount for the workshop by registering by phone and confirming their membership.  Update – this workshop is sold out, but Nature Artists’ Guild members will still be able to participate in the program on October 1.

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Oh how we miss seeing these birds flitting from branch to branch or hopping among the leaves.  It won’t be long before they’re back, and Alex Warnick’s wonderful watercolor paintings give us a preview of what the next few months will bring.

On Thursday evening, March 5, 2020, the Nature Artists’ Guild’s program will feature guest artist Alex Warnick and her watercolor paintings and illustrations of birds at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum from 7 until 9 pm.  Alex has been drawing and painting birds since she fell in love with them as a little girl.  Her expert ability in capturing the intricacies of both the birds and their habitats in her work has earned her awards and partnerships from all over the world, and she is currently working on a field guide to the Birds of Costa Rica.  Please visit Alex’s website to enjoy much more of her work as well as some fascinating video and podcast interviews.

Alex’s workshop at the Arboretum, Visiting Artist:  Capturing Birds in Watercolor sold out quickly, but her presentation on March 5 is open to the all, free-of-charge.  Anyone with an interest in birds, art, or nature is welcome to attend.  Visitors should let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill.  There is no charge for parking or admission to the Arboretum for this event. 

By the time Laverne Bohlin returns to Illinois and The Morton Arboretum in the first week of October, there will be plenty of views similar to the one she has portrayed in her stunning Autumn’s Song, above.  Autumn is one of the best times of the year for artists to attempt to capture some of the beauty of nature, and Laverne will be sharing some of her techniques for doing so in soft pastel.

On Thursday, October 3, 2019, from 7 to 9 pm, Laverne will give a presentation, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild, at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.  Tips, techniques, materials, subject matter and inspirations will be touched upon in the program, and guests will be able to ask questions and get a close-up look at some of Laverne’s luminous artwork. This program is open to all, free-of-charge.  Visitors and guests should let the gate attendant at Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild meeting to be directed to Thornhill.

For those who want to learn even more about painting with soft pastels, Laverne will also be teaching a weekend workshop, Fall Landscapes in Pastel, at the Arboretum on Saturday and Sunday, October 5th and 6th, 2019.  The workshop will take place indoors and out, with the changing colors of nature as inspiration.  Beginning and intermediate artists are welcome, but some experience working with pastels would be helpful.  The workshop is open to all interested, and there is no requirement for membership in the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum, although Arboretum members will receive a discounted registration fee.  Please click on the above image or highlighted link for more details, to review the supply list, or to enroll in the workshop.