Category: Programs

A Trio of Nature Artists on June 5, 2025

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Prairie Drought, copyright Todd Serrano

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

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Hidden Prize, copyright Bernadette Hanacek

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

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Click on image and right click to download and share.

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

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Kline Creek Sunrise Moonset, oil on canvas, 16 x 20″, copyright 2019, Joel Sheesley. Click on image for more.

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.

April Pool, Great Western Trail, oil on canvas, 12 x 24″, copyright 2020, Joel Sheesley

The Nature Artists’ Guild is Thinking of Spring

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Poster artwork by Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.

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 –

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

From Colored Pencil to Scratchboard, Rhonda Nass this Thursday, February 6, 2025

Published on by Denise1 Comment
The Extraordinary Ordinary, scratchboard, copyright Rhonda Nass

The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is proud to sponsor an online presentation by Rhonda Nass on the evening of February 6, 2025 at 7.

Rhonda will discuss her signature artistic stroke and how that same stroke, used in her glowing colored pencil drawings, can also be used to create detail and drama with scratchboard. “The same airplane stroke many of us have used in applying colored pencil transitions seamlessly to scratchboard with almost no learning curve, so we can speed past much of the training in the basics of scratchboard.”

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild were emailed a link to this free online presentation last week, and visitors can still request a link by contacting the Guild. The program is open to all, but will not be recorded.

Succulent Divine Drama, copyright Rhonda Nass
Yum, A 5-lobed Chocolate Vine, copyright Rhonda Nass

Scratchboard with Rhonda Nass, February 6, 2025

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Abundant Succulents II, copyright Rhonda Nass. Click on the image for more of Rhonda’s work.

The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to welcome back Rhonda Nass for an online presentation on the evening of Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Many members of the Guild have had the privilege of learning colored pencil or acrylic techniques with beloved instructor and incredible artist Rhonda Nass over the years. Rhonda has expanded her expertise to the world of scratchboard, and as with all of her artistic endeavors, brings it to an extraordinary level.

On the evening of Thursday, February 6, 2025, beginning at 7, Rhonda will give an online presentation to the Nature Artists’ Guild and guests. While sharing techniques, preferred materials, and inspirations for using scratchboard, Rhonda will also discuss how her experiences with colored pencil influence the work.

All are invited to attend this free online presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum! Members of the Guild will receive an email link approximately one week before the presentation, and guests and visitors can request a link by contacting the Guild.

Beginning 2025 with a Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit and Much More

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Aphrodite Sweetshrub, copyright Arlene Widrevitz, will be one of many works of art celebrating nature at a special exhibit at the Downers Grove Library this January.

The year begins with a special exhibit and quickly jumps right into exciting paint-outs, programs, and other ways for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to celebrate and share the beauty of nature throughout winter.

  • The Nature Artists’ Guild’s annual exhibit at the Downers Grove Library opens in just three days, on Tuesday, January 7 during normal library hours. Guild members’ artwork will complement the library’s permanent collection throughout library exhibit spaces for all to enjoy through February 4, 2025.
  • A paint-out at the Field Museum has been scheduled for January 18. Guild members will join members of the Artists at the field group in sketching some of the wonders of the natural world. Much more about this event will be emailed to Guild members soon.
  • On February 6, the Guild welcomes talented artist and beloved instructor Rhonda Nass for an online presentation about her experiences with scratchboard and colored pencil. Guild members will be emailed a link for attending the presentation. More details will be coming soon, including instructions for non-members to attend.
  • Also on February 6, Guild artists can leave the winter behind for a few hours at Orchids by Hausermann. This paint-out starts in the early hours, but the thousands of orchids and balmy conditions in the greenhouse of Hausermann’s make it worth setting the alarm. More details and a form to register online will be available soon.
  • It’s time to begin thinking of Spring! Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who have news, articles, or artwork for the Spring edition of the Quarterly must submit them no later than February 1, 2025. An email with instructions for submission will be sent to all members in coming weeks.
  • The theme for the Guild’s annual 8 x 8 project, in which members create small works of art honoring The Morton Arboretum, will be announced soon for those who want to get an early start! The artwork will be exhibited alongside the Guild’s annual Autumn Exhibit at the Arboretum in November.
Click here for information about new memberships or renewals for 2025

Looking Back at 2024 with the Nature Artists’ Guild

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
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

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

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.