Category: Programs

Don Widmer and the Art of Pulp Painting at The Morton Arboretum on October 3, 3024

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Detail of Happy Friend, copyright Don Widmer. Click on image for more.

Book and paper artist Don Widmer will share inspirations and techniques for depicting nature and other subjects using “detailed pulp painting with numerous layers of stenciled pulp” at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on October 3, 2024 from 7 until 9 pm.

Book and paper artist Don Widmer’s widely collected and exhibited work began as mostly monochromatic pieces. He credits birds as his inspiration to begin adding color to his work. “One day several years ago I got invited to exhibit at an Audubon art show in Madison, Wisconsin. I had never pulp painted a bird up to that point so I decided to give it a try. … I slowly expanded my color palette. The male grackle, for example, has tones of iridescent purple and blue. When I finally got to a cardinal, I knew I was on my way to embracing color.” Don also appreciates the way that the “feathery edges of handmade paper and the fibrous quality of pulp” complement his bird images.

All are invited to this presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum. There will be no Guild or Arboretum membership requirement for entry to this event, and admission and parking are free of charge. Visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Plenty of seating and light refreshments will be available.

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.)

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.

Kristina Knowski’s Avifauna Watercolors August 1, 2024

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To Sleep, copyright Kristina Knowski. Click on image to learn more.

The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to sponsor a presentation featuring Kristina Knowski and her ‘Avifauna Watercolors’ at The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, August 1, 2024 from 7 to 9 pm.

Kristina is a watercolorist depicting primarily avifauna and is best known for her portfolio of extinct bird species. She enjoys using observation, anatomical references, and specimens to examine these species with an acute attention to detail.

As an avid birder, Kristina prefers to work from life and spends most of her time sketching and researching species in the field. In working with extinct species, she visits the Bird Collections of the Field Museum and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to study from skins. – KristinaKnowski.com

This presentation will be free and open to all. There will be no charge for attendance, parking, or admission to The Morton Arboretum for this event. Registration is not required, and attendees can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the presentation to be admitted and directed to their Thornhill Education Center. Plenty of parking and seating will be available.

This Week at the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Background artwork by Nicki Metz, Beth Berry, Laurie Peters, Patty Koenigsaecker, Vicki Liszewski. Click on image for original postcard.

A special exhibit featuring works by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum opens this Friday at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery in Aurora, IL.

The opening of Art Inspired by Earth on the evening of Friday, June 7, 2024 at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery will include a reception with refreshments and live music, and coincides with the city’s popular First Friday event. All are welcome to drop by!

Everyone is also invited to the Nature Artists’ Guild’s June presentation on Thursday, June 6 from 7 to 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. Three members of the Guild will demonstrate the creation of art inspired by nature using media and techniques both old and new. Light refreshments and plenty of seating will be available for this free event.

A Trio of Talented Artists on June 6, 2024 at The Morton Arboretum

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All are invited to a program featuring demonstrations by three talented Nature Artists’ Guild members at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Examples of stippling in black and white ink, Sawtooth Oak, Orchid, copyright Nancy Wu

Nancy Wu will demonstrate the use of stippling with black and white ink to create intricate drawings of nature.

Pearl Onions and Lacy Leaf, silverpoint, copyright Sandra K. Wilcoxon

Sandra Wilcoxon will share materials and methods for using silverpoint in both old and new ways.

Monochromatic and glazed stages of painting, copyright Dale Olsen

Dale Olsen will add glazes in oil or acrylic to bring glowing color to a black and white base.

Presentations sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild are always free and open to all. There is no requirement to be a member of The Morton Arboretum or the Guild to attend, and there is no charge for attendance, parking, or entry into the Arboretum for these events. Visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to the Thornhill Education Center. There will be plenty of seating, and light refreshments will be available.

Coming this June!

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Cicada, copyright Jean Black

More than just cicadas are coming to Chicagoland over the next few weeks. For members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, June also marks the arrival of –

  • One of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s most popular annual programs, featuring short demonstrations and discussions by three talented members, at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on the evening of Thursday, June 6, 2024 (open to all, free of charge). This year’s artists will share tools, tips, and techniques for creating botanical art using pen and ink, drawing with silverpoint, and using glazes when painting in oil or acrylic. Details to come soon.
  • An exciting new special exhibit at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery. Participating Guild artists are dropping off their work this weekend, and in less than two weeks, the exhibit opens. Aurora’s First Friday event on June 7, 2024 will include a reception at the gallery for the Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit (open to all) with light refreshments and live music.
  • A paint-out, tentatively planned for late June at the lovely private garden of one of the Guild’s members. The date of the paint-out will be determined in June, and will depend on weather and possible cicada activity.

Looking Ahead to Late Spring and Summer

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Here Fishy, Fishy, copyright Dan Danielson

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will be welcoming the arrival of late spring and summer in a number of enjoyable ways –

  • Nature Artists’ Guild members are encouraged to share images of their summer-inspired artwork for the upcoming issue of the Nature Artists’ Quarterly. This members-only publication includes essays, book reviews, images, and news by and about Guild members. Submissions for possible inclusion in the Summer Quarterly can be emailed to Jane Kellenberger at the NatureArtNews gmail address by May 1, 2024 (Guild members only).
  • There is still time for members to register for the paint-out at Lilacia Park scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 9:30 am. Paint-Out Chair Celia Rodee will share details and updates by email with those registered, and share coffee and her delicious homemade muffins at the paint-out.
  • Artwork drop-off dates for this June and July’s Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit at the gallery of the Aurora Public Art Commission are approaching quickly. Registered exhibitors can park in the designated lot next to the building on May 24 between 2 and 4 or May 25 between 11 and 1, and take the elevator to the third floor to sign in their artwork. The exhibit opens on June 7, 2024 with a reception at the gallery (and a gathering at the studio of Exhibit Co-Chair Cheryl Holz) and continues through July 13.
  • Three members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be discussing and demonstrating their inspirations, materials, and techniques at the June 6, 2024 program at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum at 7 pm. This program will be open to all, free-of-charge. Details will be coming soon.

Rachel Davis with “Paintings, Prints, and Textiles” on March 7, 2024

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Rachel Davis natural dyed fabrics and sketchbook details. Click on image for more of Rachel’s work.

The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to sponsor a program featuring multi-talented artist Rachel Davis this Thursday, March 7, 2024 at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.

Rachel Davis will finish teaching her class, Natural Dyes on Silk at The Morton Arboretum just one day before the Nature Artists’ Guild welcomes her back to the Arboretum to share some of her knowledge, inspirations, and tools and techniques with the Guild and visitors at Thornhill from 7 until 9 pm.

This program will be open to the public, completely free of charge. There is no requirement to be a member of the Arboretum or the Guild to attend, and there will be no fee for entering the Arboretum or for parking. Visitors can let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill.

Dyed and printed silk scarf, Rachel Davis

More for Nature Artists’ Guild members –

  • Posters and postcards for the 2024 Spring Nature Art Exhibit will be available at the March 7 program for members and visitors to take and share with their friends and local businesses or groups.
  • Any Guild member who has not already registered can drop off their completed prospectus and fee (cash or check) for the 2024 Spring Art Exhibit in person at the March 7 program. The final day to register (postmarked by, online, or in person) is March 8, 2024.
  • Members who would like to contribute items for the fund-raising raffle baskets can drop them off at the March 7 program. (A list of suggestions was recently emailed to members.)