Paint-Out at the Grand Garden on September 5, 2024

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Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org (detail).

Nature Artists’ Guild members will visit the Grand Garden at The Morton Arboretum on the morning of September 5, 2024 with their paints and pencils for a fond farewell to summer and a warm welcome to autumn.

Autumn plantings will join the trees, fountains, and remaining summer blooms to create a lovely setting for Guild members to draw, paint, or photograph. The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden opened at the Arboretum last autumn, and was “designed for gathering, relaxation, inspiration, and beauty throughout the year.” – Delights of the Grand Garden, mortonarb.org

Nature Artists’ Guild members and guests are welcome to drop by the paint-out any time between 9:30 and noon on Thursday, September 5, but registration is recommended in order to be notified by email of updates.

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.

Paint-Out at the Gardens at Ball August 7, 2024

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The Gardens at Ball, photo credit BallHort.com

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be visiting the Gardens at Ball on the morning of Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 9:30 to noon to paint, draw, photograph, and explore the vast showcase of plants.

Ball Horticultural Company is a leader in all facets of horticulture. Our global family of breeders, research and development teams, suppliers, and distribution companies has a strong presence on six continents in 20 countries.  – Ballhort.com

West Chicago, IL is the home Ball Horticultural Company and the site of the Gardens at Ball, their 13 acres of garden showcases filled with thousands of beautiful plants, including hundreds of their latest innovations in research and breeding.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet at the gardens for a paint-out at 9:30 am on August 7 to enjoy all the color and beauty on display. Registration is required for this event, either online, or by emailing Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee.

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.

New Half-Year Memberships Available

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Image examples from late summer through early winter 2023

Artists who enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature can now join the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum for the remainder of 2024 with a half-year membership option (first time members only).

New half-year members will be have the opportunity to participate in any paint-outs, exhibits (including the annual Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum), programs, projects, or other activities throughout the remainder of the year.

Interested artists are invited to visit the About or Membership pages and scroll through previous posts to learn more about the Nature Artists’ Guild.

Learn More About Half-Year Memberships Here

Nature Journaling Workshop July 13, 2024

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Detail of nature journal pages, copyright Sandra Wilcoxon

In conjunction with the Nature Artists’ Guild’s special exhibit, Art Inspired by Earth, the Aurora Public Art Commission will be sponsoring a free workshop on Nature Journaling on July 13, 2024.

The 90-minute workshop, led by Guild member Sandra Wilcoxon, will be open to all, but attendance will be limited to fifteen participants (more details and registration form here). All supplies will be provided. The workshop will be held at the Aurora Public Art gallery on July 13, 2024 (the final day of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s exhibit) from 2 to 3:30 pm.

Reminder to exhibitors – Artwork pick-up will be on July 13 from 4 to 5:30 pm at the Aurora Public Art Commission gallery.

Nature Artists’ Guild to Visit Anderson Japanese Gardens on July 18, 2024

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Photo credit Anderson Japanese Gardens

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to join their fellow artists at the renowned Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL to sketch, draw, photograph, and simply enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Guild members will meet at 9:30 am on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at Anderson Japanese Gardens,“one of the highest quality Japanese gardens in the world” after which they can explore the “twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, and koi-filled ponds.”

If interested, attendees can also choose to enjoy a meal at the onsite restaurant, Fresco at the Gardens at 11:30.

Interested Guild members can register for the event here, or by emailing Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee.

(Participants will be responsible for their own transportation and lunch costs. Anderson Japanese Gardens is located approximately eighty miles from Chicago’s southwest suburbs, a drive of about one and a quarter hours. Easels and paints are not permitted. Attendees can visit the Gardens’ website for details.)

A Garden Tapestry Paint-Out July 11, 2024

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Fiber artist Diane Fisher has woven the paths, plants, and other elements of her garden into a wonderful tapestry of values, colors, textures, and temperatures.

Fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to attend a paint-out in Diane’s private garden in Wheaton, IL on Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 9:30 until noon. Paint-Out Coordinator Celia Rodee will provide coffee and her delicious scones.

Interested Guild members can register here or by emailing Celia.

Is It Now a Tradition? 2024 Celebrates Trees

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Detail of Three Trees on a Trail, copyright Beth Berry. Cropped to illustrate square format. Original version here.

A few years ago, the Nature Artists’ Guild announced a new project for its members. In the first year, the project consisted of a special display of members’ artwork, all in a 8 by 8 inch format, celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Morton Arboretum’s Schulenberg Prairie. Last year, using the same format, participating artists depicted scenes from Joy Morton’s original visions for his “museum of trees.”

In 2024, the third year of these projects honoring The Morton Arboretum, the theme is simply and fittingly,“Trees”. Entire forests, individual specimens, leaves, branches, roots, berries, buds, bark, birds, or bugs are all suitable subjects.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to create up to three works of art in almost any medium to be exhibited in the lobby of the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum during the same hours of the Guild’s 2024 Autumn Exhibit in November.

  • Artwork must not be framed in order to fit into the display. The final size of each piece must be exactly 8 by 8 inches and less than one half inch deep.
  • There will be no fee or volunteering requirement to participate. A simple registration will be requested before the exhibit, and drop-off and pick-up hours will be the same as those for the Autumn Exhibit.
  • This project is otherwise separate from and will not affect or depend on participation in the Autumn exhibit. (Details about the 2024 Autumn Exhibit will be shared in upcoming months.)

A Garden Party Paint-Out on June 23, 2024

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Garden of Anne and Charles Bouchard, Glen Ellyn, IL. Photo credit Anne and Charles Bouchard.

Update: Paint-out has been canceled due to cicada activity.

The Bouchards of Glen Ellyn have invited members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to attend a paint-out and enjoy a buffet at their home on Sunday, June 23, 2024 from noon until 3 in conjunction with a garden party reception for volunteers of the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center.

This plein-air opportunity is available to the first 12 Guild members who register, and the Bouchard’s spacious and lovely gardens, originally designed by landscape architect and artist Anthony Tyznik, will be in full bloom.

Just added – An opportunity for members to create and exhibit up to three 8 x 8 inch works of art in a special display during the Guild’s annual Autumn exhibit in November. These two-dimensional works must be inspired by or created at The Morton Arboretum, and the 2024 theme will be, fittingly, “Trees”. This display of art celebrating trees or their parts or inhabitants will be in addition to the regular autumn exhibit and no entry fee or framing will be required for participating artists. More about this opportunity coming soon!