Jump into your Jodhpurs and Collect your Cloche!

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The Morton Arboretum’s first picnic area near Lake Marmo. Copyright Sterling Morton Library, The Morton Arboretum.

We’re Meeting at Marmo!

Of course, nearly 100 years after this photo was taken, comfortable painting clothes, a warm drink, and a folding chair might be more appropriate for those members of the Nature Artists’ Guild meeting at the lovely Lake Marmo at The Morton Arboretum for a paint-out on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 beginning at 9:30 am.

Guild members can register here to be added to an email list to receive details and updates about the paint-out. Those who would rather just stop by might have to look around for their fellow artists (who may or may not be wearing berets) scattered around the lake.

This paint-out at Lake Marmo would be a great opportunity for Nature Artists’ Guild members to find inspiration or complete a drawing or painting for this fall’s Joy’s Vision special display at the Sterling Morton Library.

Important Reminder – the final day for members to register for the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit is October 7, 2023. Guild members were emailed a link to the prospectus and online registration form in recent weeks.

“An Ineffable Response to Overwhelming Beauty” – Bryce Lafferty on October 5, 2023

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Green Kingdom, copyright Bryce Lafferty

My watercolor drawings emerge as poetic expressions of my wonderment for the natural world. They provide a surreal, emotional, and ineffable response to overwhelming beauty.

Bryce Lafferty

Bryce Lafferty leads the Department of Art and Design at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where he teaches drawing and painting. Originally from the Northeast, Bryce is now also “enamored by the abundant variety of living things and geologic features to be discovered in the Southeast.” His widely collected and exhibited watercolors are inspired by his “wonderment for” the natural beauty he has encountered across the country.

The Nature Artists’ Guild is honored to welcome Bryce to speak about his art and experiences on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 7 pm in the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.

This program is open to the public, with no charge for parking, attendance, or admission to the Arboretum. Visitors can let the attendant at the gate of The Morton Arboretum know they are there for the presentation to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Tickets are not required and light refreshments and plenty of seating will be available.

Bryce is also teaching a Visiting Artist Workshop co-sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild at The Morton Arboretum beginning October 6. Guild members can claim an additional discount by registering by phone.

Bryce Lafferty sketching at Lake Ellen Wilson, Glacier National Park

Some reminders about the October 5 meeting for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild –

  • Artwork submissions for the Joy’s Vision special display will be accepted at the meeting, as well as at the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit’s drop-off event on November 8. Artwork for this display does not require matting, framing, preregistration, or an exhibit fee, but must be 8 x 8 inches and properly labeled on the back.
  • Completed prospectuses and fee payments for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit will be accepted at the meeting (as well as by mail or online by October 7). In-person payments at the meeting must be by cash or check.
  • Posters and postcards for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit will be available for members to take and share with friends and local businesses.
  • Voluntary contributions for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit raffle baskets can be dropped off. A list of suggested items was previously emailed to members.

Lake Marmo Paint-Out on October 4, 2023

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Lake Marmo Reflections, copyright Laverne Bohlin

It should be a work of art … In short, it should be a beautiful place, affecting one like a beautiful painting.

O.C. Simonds

The creation of Lake Marmo (named after Joy Morton’s wife, Margaret Morton) at The Morton Arboretum began in the autumn of 1922 with crews using teams of mules and dredges to widen and deepen a small tributary of the DuPage River. Working with those crews was renowned landscape designer O.C. Simonds, who believed that an arboretum should be more than a museum of trees. He wrote that it should also be a “work of art … like a beautiful painting.”

Just over one hundred years later, at 9:30 on the morning of Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (rain date October 11), Nature Artists’ Guild members will meet at Lake Marmo to attempt to capture the stunning autumn colors of the lake, sky, and surrounding landscape in their own “beautiful paintings,” drawings, or photographs. Members can register here to be added to the email list for paint-out details and updates.

This paint-out would be a wonderful opportunity for Guild members to find inspiration for the special exhibit of 8 x 8 small works, Joy’s Vision, at the Sterling Morton Library during the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit.

Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2023 Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum This November

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Poster art by Featured Artist Joe Rizzo. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger. Copies of the poster and postcards will be available at the October 5 meeting at The Morton Arboretum.

The 2023 Autumn Art Exhibit by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will take place November 11 and 12 at The Morton Arboretum. A reception for the artists, guests, and other visitors will be held on Friday evening, November 10.

The exhibit will feature over 200 works of nature art by more than 50 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild. Artist demonstrations, raffles, and a special exhibit inspired by the Arboretum’s founder, Joy Morton, will add to the experience. Much more about the exhibit and Featured Artist Joe Rizzo will be coming soon.

Reminders for members –

The deadline for registering for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit is Saturday, October 7. An email with links to the prospectus and online registration form was sent to all members this week. (Note: previous links emailed on August 28 had an incorrect date for the registration deadline. The correct date is October 7.)

Any member who would like to contribute to the raffle baskets can bring their donated items to the October 5 meeting at The Morton Arboretum. A list of requested items was emailed to members on August 29.

Completed 8 x 8 works for the Joy’s Vision special exhibit can be brought to the October 5 meeting (where they will be temporarily displayed for meeting attendees and then retained for the November exhibit) or dropped off at the Autumn Exhibit’s “referee night” on November 8. Artwork for this special exhibit of small works does not require pre-registration, but must be correctly labeled on the back.

Visiting Artist Bryce Lafferty in October 2023

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Eastern Forest, watercolor, copyright Bryce Lafferty

The Nature Artists’ Guild and The Morton Arboretum are excited to co-sponsor the upcoming three-day Visiting Artist Workshop: Conceptual Landscapes in Watercolor with accomplished artist and educator Bryce Lafferty beginning on October 6, 2023.

My watercolor drawings emerge as poetic expressions of my wonderment for the natural world. They provide a surreal, emotional, and ineffable response to overwhelming beauty.

Bryce Lafferty

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be able to obtain an additional discount for the workshop fee by registering by phone to confirm their Guild membership.

Bryce will also be sharing some of his methods and inspirations at a presentation at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, October 5 at 7 pm. This program, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild, will be open to all, completely 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. Light refreshments will be available.

A few reminders for members-

  • Links to the prospectus and an online registration form for the 2023 Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum were recently emailed to all current Nature Artists’ Guild members. Members who did not receive the email should contact Membership Chair Jane Kellenberger.

This Autumn for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Zion II – Virgin River, copyright Joe Rizzo

For the Nature Artists’ Guild, the unofficial beginning of autumn will be this week, when the prospectus for November’s Nature Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum is emailed to all members.

The Guild is pleased to announce that the Featured Artist for the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit will be Joe Rizzo (much more about Joe and his work to come soon). The exhibit will include more than 200 works of nature art by approximately 50 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild. The exhibit postcard and posters, as well as many more details, will be coming soon.

Also coming this autumn –

  • A paint-out at the gardens at Cantigny is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, beginning at 9:30 am. The gardens will still be blooming and beautiful for this event. All members are welcome to stop by any time that morning, but by registering here, they can be added to an email list for details and updates. There will be no charge for admission or parking for the paint-out.
  • A paint-out at Lake Marmo at The Morton Arboretum has been tentatively planned for October 4 at 9:30 am. Lake Marmo and its surroundings will be displaying the colors of fall and attendees might find inspiration to participate in the Joy’s Vision special display. A registration form for the paint-out and more details to come soon.
  • The Visiting Artist Workshop: Conceptual Landscapes in Watercolor with Bryce Lafferty on October 6, 7, and 8, 2023 at The Morton Arboretum is being co-sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild. (Guild members can receive an additional discount by registering by phone and confirming their membership.) Bryce will also be doing a presentation, free and open to all, on October 5, 2023 from 7 to 9 pm at the Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center. More details to come soon.
  • Wednesday morning gatherings, Art and Coffee, will continue each week throughout autumn (except for the days with paint-outs scheduled). Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild and their guests are welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum between 9 and 11 am to chat, sketch, or enjoy a quiet morning in beautiful surroundings.

Joy’s Vision in Summer

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Joy Morton on Joy Path at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org

Mr. Morton wrote that every evening after work, still wearing his suit and hat, he would walk the path to connect with the sights and sounds of country life. – mortonarb.org

Spring brought the delights of Daffodil Glade and autumn will bring breathtaking color at Lake Marmo. This summer, the perfect location for artists to celebrate Joy Morton’s vision for The Morton Arboretum might be along one of his favorite places for an evening stroll, Joy Path. In 1924, Mr. Morton accurately predicted that Joy Path would “ultimately become one of the prettiest parts of the Arboretum.”

Look for the beautiful spreading canopy of the Miyabe “State Street” maple at the south end of Joy Path, and ponder the number of guests who have enjoyed its shade since it was planted in 1929.  – mortonarb.org

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are encouraged to visit Joy Path (and the adjacent Fragrance Garden) on their own to find inspiration for a summer piece for the Joy’s Vision special display at the Guild’s annual autumn exhibit in November. (There will be a paint-out scheduled at Lake Marmo for autumn – more details to come soon.)

Participating in the special display of small works will not require members to mat, frame, register, or pay a fee to include up to four pieces. The works must be 8 x 8 inches and be inspired by The Morton Arboretum in any or all of the four seasons. They can be dropped off and picked up during the regular exhibit drop-off and pick-up times.

At Last, the Gardens at Cantigny

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Rock and Gravel Garden, photo credit Cantigny.org

Colonel Robert McCormick (for whom Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center is named) was editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune for 44 years and the creator of “an important media empire, Tribune Company, which grew from a single newspaper to a media giant.” Cantigny Park, his 500-acre former estate, was bequeathed by Colonel McCormick as a “public space for education and recreation.”

In 1967, [famed landscape architect Franz] Lipp began construction of this lush, horticultural masterpiece, which is one of the largest display gardens in the Midwest with more than 160,000 annuals, perennials, ground covers and flowering shrubs and trees. – Cantigny.org

At 9:30 on the morning of Wednesday, September 6, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will meet to explore Cantigny’s Gardens with their cameras, sketchbooks, canvases, paints, and pencils. Included are a rose garden, logarium, hosta garden, idea garden, rock and gravel gardens, and display gardens. Sculptures, fountains, waterfalls, small streams, ponds, and natural areas are also part of this vast estate, all available for the artists to enjoy.

There will be no charge for admission or parking for this paint-out and Nature Artists’ Guild members can register here to be added to the email list for details and updates.

Gardens at Ball Paint-Out this Thursday, August 10, 2023

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Photo credit Ball Horticultural, ballhort.com

It is Ball Horticultural Company’s mission to be the world leader in the research, breeding, production and marketing of ornamental crops.

BallHort.com

This Thursday morning, August 10, 2023, beginning at 9:30, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will have the opportunity to spend a few hours enjoying the spectacular display gardens of Ball Horticultural.

“What began as a row trial garden for seed varieties in 1933 has grown to encompass over 9 acres of display beds for annuals, perennials, cut flowers and vegetables, including the newest plants from the industry’s leading breeders and marketers.” Ball’s “global family of breeders, research and development teams, suppliers, and distribution companies has a strong presence on six continents in 20 countries.”

Interested members of the Guild can register here by tomorrow to receive details about attending.

John Fleck at The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, August 3, 2023

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All are invited to visit the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 7 pm for a presentation by artist John Fleck.

At this program, John Fleck, a talented artist in a variety of media, will be sharing some of his techniques and inspirations for depicting landscapes in charcoal. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and view the artist’s work up close.

The presentation, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild, will be open to all, free of charge, from 7 until 9 pm. Visitors can let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know they are there for the presentation to be admitted to the Arboretum and directed to Thornhill. There will be no charge for visitors to enter The Morton Arboretum, for parking, or for admission to the program. Plenty of seating will be available and light refreshments will be served.