Anyone who has seen a sky by Gary Wick in his favored medium of soft pastel doesn’t soon forget it! Attendees of the Thursday, October 6th program sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum from 7 until 9 pm at theThornhill Education Center will have the opportunity to watch Gary in the process of creating one of his glowing landscapes.
Gary Wick, a widely collected and admired artist from the Chicagoland area, is also an accomplished instructor in painting with pastels and is currently teaching at the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center in Palos Park, IL.
Gary has been featured in the Pastel Journal as a finalist in their Annual Pastel 100 Awards, and his work has been published in American Artist magazine and in Best of American Pastel Artists, Vol. II. Gary’s work is also included in the permanent collection of the National Veterans Art Museum.
Crooked Creek, copyright Gary Wick
Guests and visitors are welcome to attend this presentation. Non-members of The Morton Arboretum are asked to let the gate attendant know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program, and they will be directed to the Thornhill Education Center. Parking, admission to the Arboretum and to the program are free-of-charge for this event. Please click here for directions to The Morton Arboretum.
The October meeting will also feature examples of Nature Artists’ Guild member sketchbooks completed during the firstGreat Sketchbook Encounter. Any members who wish to share should bring theirs along!
Nature Artists’ Guild members, non-member artists, those fascinated by the process of creating art, or those just curious or looking for an interesting and enjoyable way to spend an evening – all are invited to attend and none will leave disappointed!
On the evening of Thursday, August 4, 2016 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, the Nature Artists’ Guild will proudly present three talented members who will share their art, inspirations and techniques with attendees.
Carol Cooley’s print using “shinkolei” process
Susan Bartlett’s collage from hand-painted paper
Sharon Malec’s fiber art created with her hand-made silk paper
Please click on this link to a previous post to read more about artists Susan Bartlett, Carol Cooley and Sharon Malec, who will presenting this year’s edition of this popular annual program. There is no charge for entry to The Morton Arboretum, the program, or parking, and light refreshments will be provided. Visitors should let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild presentation, and they will be directed to Thornhill.
No, it’s not a new musical group! Even better, each year the Nature Artists’ Guild invites three artist members to share their tips, techniques, materials and inspirations in a fun, informal and informative presentation. The program will be held at the Thornhill Education Center, The Morton Arboretum, on August 4, 2016 from 7 until 9 pm.
This year, all three artists will be working on or with paper, but in interesting new ways.
Carol Cooley will share her methods for using watercolor and the “shinkolei” process to add new elements to her wonderful block prints.
Carol Cooley’s block print with applied watercolor
Carol Cooley applying watercolor to block print
Carol Cooley’s print using “shinkolei” process
Sharon Malec uses her hand-made silk papers to create shimmering fabric art.
Silk fibers used by Sharon Malec to create silk paper
Detail of Sharon Malec’s art featuring her hand-made silk paper
Sharon Malec’s fiber art created with her hand-made silk paper
Susan Bartlett’s stunning collages are made with paper that she has hand-painted.
Susan Bartlett’s hand-painted paper drying in studio
Susan Bartlett’s hand-painted paper being prepared for collage
Susan Bartlett’s collage from hand-painted paper
Members, non-members, visitors, friends, family – all are welcome at this popular program! Both the program and parking are free-of-charge. Non-members of The Morton Arboretum should let the gate attendant know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program and they will be directed to Thornhill.
All artwork images above are copyrighted and may not be used without permission of the artist.
Marianne Lisson Kuhn grew up in the “then small farming community of Naperville, Illinois”, and “spent most Sundays visiting her grandparents at their local farms and grew to love the country and the beauty of nature unfolding with each passing season”.
Marianne’s artwork includes small rural scenes and landscapes in pen and ink, pastel and watercolor, as well as large murals depicting historical and contemporary life in the area.
On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Marianne will share some of her thoughts, inspirations and techniques with the Nature Artists’ Guild at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL from 7 until 9 pm. Her focus will be on scenes in pen and ink for this presentation.
As always, guests and visitors are welcome to attend this program sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild. There is no charge for attendance, parking, or admission to the Arboretum for this event. Visitors can just let the gate attendant know that they are there for the program, and they will be directed to Thornhill.
Please click on the following links to learn more about Marianne, and to view examples of her artwork –
1. Rhonda Nass and her award-winning colored-pencil artwork
2. Rhonda’s new book, Scratchings of a Madwoman
3. For interested Nature Artists’ Guild members, an opportunity to pick up their mini-canvas
4. Visitors and guests are welcome, and the program, admission to The Morton Arboretum, and parking are free-of-charge
5. The special beauty of The Morton Arboretum after dark, especially with a dusting of snow
For more information about Rhonda, please scroll down to a our previous post, or visit her website,www.rnass.com. Visitors do not need to be a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum to attend this program from 7 until 9 pm on Thursday, March 3, 2016, and the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum will direct them to the Thornhill Education Center building. More information about the Arboretum is available at www.mortonarb.org.
God’s Will, colored pencil, copyright Rhonda Nass. Used with permission. Text not part of original image.
Rhonda Nassis an internationally acclaimed, award-winning artist, who also teaches workshops in both colored pencil and acrylic techniques at The Morton Arboretum as part of the Visiting Artists Series. The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is honored to sponsor a presentation on colored pencil and a book signing by Rhonda on Thursday, March 3, 2016, and to co-sponsor a workshop with the Arboretum the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 4th through 6th, 2016, in which Rhonda will share her techniques for painting in acrylic.
At Thursday evening’s presentation between 7 and 9 pm at Thornhill, Rhonda will discuss some of her colored-pencil artwork, including God’s Will, shown above (yes that is colored pencil, and a recent winner in the Colored Pencil Society of America’s 23rd Annual International Exhibit!), and sign copies of her new book, Scratchings of a Madwoman. This gorgeous book is filled with Rhonda’s colored pencil drawings, as well as her beautifully written inspirational stories, and an entire section is devoted to Rhonda’s techniques for working with colored pencils. Rhonda’s kind and generous nature certainly comes through in this book as she shares her thoughts and artwork with her readers.
Nature Artists’ Guild members, visitors and guests are welcome to attend this program at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. There is no charge for admission or parking, either to the Arboretum or to this program. Visitors should let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the program and they will be directed to Thornhill.
Mimosa Fireworks, acrylic, copyright Rhonda Nass. Used with permission. Text not part of original image.
On the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Nature Artists’ Guild and The Morton Arboretum are excited to co-sponsor an acrylic workshop by Rhonda. To enroll in this workshop, please visit the class listings at The Morton Arboretum’s website, or click on this direct link to the workshop. This workshop is limited to 15 participants, and is expected to fill quickly! Rhonda describes it as follows –
Acrylic Stroke-Free, A New Watercolor– If visions of harshly-colored gobs of paint come to mind when you hear the work acrylic, you are not alone. This class will blow that perspective out the window. Through a simple, step-by-step exercise, you’ll learn a unique acrylic technique that involves diluting paint from the tube and applying layers of translucent color with a feathering stroke that results in a stroke-free final appearance with unlimited potential for extremely tight detail and dramatic coloring and lighting. We’ll take a fresh (and brief) look at composition and proceed with each artist beginning a simple painting of a tomato and leaf to learn the technique enough to move on to a painting using the subject of her/his choice. There will be time to gain enough skills through demonstrations, one-on-one time, and practice in the workshop to leave the class confident to complete with with excellence the personalized acrylic artwork.
Please click on any of the highlighted links above to learn more. For more about Rhonda and her artwork, please click on this link to her website, www.rnass.com.
The images above are copyrighted by Rhonda Nass. As always, the use of any image on this website is prohibited without the written consent of the artist.
Oil and Cold Wax work, copyright JoAnne Laudolff. Used with permission.
JoAnne Laudolff has been creating artwork inspired by nature throughout her adult life, and after graduating from Columbia College in Chicago, IL, began to specialize in and teach Papermaking and Botanical Printing. JoAnne’s most recent passion is for mixed media, specifically, the Oil and Cold Wax technique, and members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, as well as their guests and visitors, will have the chance to learn more about JoAnne’s work with this technique on Thursday, February 4, 2016 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
” I like the peaceful landscape qualities that the medium conveys. I always incorporate nature into my art work. It is a way to take a little of that simplicity with me.”
Learn more about JoAnne Laudolff and her work atwww.joannespaperbarn.com. While there, please be sure to click through all four of the galleries to view her beautiful work in various media!
As always, visitors and guests are welcome to attend this presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild. There is no charge for attendance or parking, and visitors can just let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know they are there for the program.
JoAnne Laudolff with one of her Oil and Cold Wax works inspired by nature.
Just a reminder that this Thursday, October 15, 2015, from 7 until 9 pm, a special presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will feature visiting artist Wendy Brockman.
The Morton Arboretum will be hosting the 8th International Oak Society Conference from October 18 until October 21, 2015. In conjunction with this event and as part of the arboretum’s 2015 Visiting Artist Series, artist Wendy Brockman will be teaching a workshop entitled Painting Oaks. (A few openings for this workshop may still be available – please click on the link to visit the registration page.)
The Nature Artists’ Guild is thrilled to announce that Wendy has also agreed to present a discussion of her art, inspirations and techniques for our members, guests and visitors on the evening of Thursday, October 15, 2015, from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
Wendy Brockman lives and works in Minnesota, where northern forests and rocky shorelines provide inspiration for her imagery. She explores her interests in art and environmental issues using a variety of media. An avid observer, her work examines bits and pieces of nature and the responses they evoke.
Widely exhibited, Brockman’s paintings have been included in group and solo exhibitions. Her work has received national and international exhibition awards and is held in public and private collections throughout the United States.
What a wonderful opportunity to view the stunning work of this fine artist and hear more about her inspirations! This special presentation will be open, as are all Nature Artists’ Guild programs, to members, guests and visitors. There is no fee for attendance, parking, or admission to The Morton Arboretum for this event, and visitors just need to let the gate attendant know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program.
For more information about Wendy or to view more of her beautiful artwork, please visit www.wendybrockman.com by clicking on the link or any of the images.
Yes, you may feel like screeching at all of these corny references, but if you give a hoot about art or wildlife, you might find it wise to attend the upcoming Nature Artists’ Guild program on Thursday, October 1, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
The guest presenter at the upcoming meeting will be Marla Jedlicka, director of The Wise Old Owls Sanctuary, along with a few of her feathered friends. Marla began her career of rehabilitating owls by volunteering and interning at a small raptor center, which later closed. That is when Marla began the Wise Old Owls Sanctuary, which houses “owls that were once wild, injured, nursed back to health, but sadly cannot be released back to their natural habitat”. Marla also teaches and volunteers at SOAR Illinois – Save Our American Raptors, Inc., dedicated to “the welfare of our native birds-of-prey”.
There will be no Great Horned Owls there, (as in Evelyn Grala’s lovely painting, below), but Marla will be bringing some of her rescued Eastern Screech Owls and a Short-eared Owl for program attendees to sketch, photograph, or just learn more about.
As always, guests and visitors are welcome to attend the Nature Artists’ Guild presentations. This presentation would be of interest to artists, photographers, birders or anyone who enjoys nature! Parking. attendance and admission to the arboretum are free for this event, and visitors just need to let The Morton Arboretum gate attendant know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program.
Nature Artists' Guild 