This Thursday, February 6, 2020, Julie Sutter-Blair will share some of her ideas, inspirations, and artistic processes at a program at The Morton Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center from 7 until 9 pm. The program is sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild and is free and open to all. Non-members of the Arboretum should let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be admitted free-of-charge and directed to Thornhill.
The link to the prospectus for the 2020 Spring Exhibit of Natural History Art was e-mailed to all current Nature Artists’ Guild members on January 24, 2020. Since the e-mail service used by the Nature Artists’ Guild has changed recently, some members’ e-mails could automatically be going to a different folder in their inbox. Members who haven’t received the prospectus should check their “social”, “promotions”, and “spam” folders for the message.
There is still time to join the Nature Artists’ Guild for 2020 and receive a copy of the Spring prospectus. Prospective members can join online or by mail. More information is available on the Membership page of this website. New members who join during January or February will be e-mailed a link to the prospectus. All completed prospectuses must be returned by March 2, 2020.
“You might not stop to admire a beetle on the sidewalk, but a stunning painting of a beetle might catch your eye,” says heritage interpreter Kendra Strubhart, curator of the upcoming Pollinators in Action: Flowering Journeys exhibit at the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, IL. “Animals are not the only means of pollination,” Strubhart adds. “If someone is inspired by how the wind carries pollen, we want to see what a work of art by that person looks like.”
Hexagons and Honeybees 2 by Nature Artists’ Guild member Karen Johnson is a great example of the type of work the exhibit will feature. Nature Artists’ Guild members are a natural fit for this exhibit opportunity!
The weather outside might be frightful, but the weather inside Orchids by Hausermann will be delightful for the Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out on the morning of Tuesday, February 18, 2020 from 9 am until noon.
Hausermann’s Orchids, Inc. in Villa Park, IL is one of the world’s largest growers of orchids with approximately 400,000 plants produced annually. The showroom inside one of the large greenhouses is the site of an annual Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out each February, when many of the orchids are in bloom.
Nature Artists’ Guild members will soon receive an e-mail with details and instructions for reserving a spot at this popular paint-out. Space is limited.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to sponsor a program featuring artist Julie Sutter-Blair on the evening of Thursday, February 6, 2020 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. Julie’s “passion is found in the natural world and the rituals of everyday life” and her wonderful prints and drawings certainly reflect that passion.
Julie’s upcoming workshop in colored pencil and graphite at the Arboretum on February 7 and 8, 2020, Visiting Artist: Expressions of Winter with Julie Sutter-Blair quickly sold out. Happily, Julie has agreed to share some of her artwork, inspirations, and a few tips and techniques with members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, their guests, and visitors on Thursday evening.
This program is open to the public. Non-members of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Entry to the Arboretum, admission to the program, and parking will be free-of-charge for this event. Please click on the image or one of the highlighted links to see more of Julie’s stunning work.
The Nature Artists’ Guild has planned a fun event to start the new year! It involves nature (flora, but no fauna) and it involves art (acrylic painting), but one of the best features of this event is that members don’t have to bring sketches, find photographs, search for subject matter, haul out their supplies, or clear off a spot in their studio or on their kitchen table.
Members of the Nature Artists Guild only need to do three things to participate –
This “round table” event will revolve (yes, pun intended) around a still life set up in the middle of each table. Each artist will be given a canvas, some paint, and a brush and will begin to paint from their spot at the table. After 15 minutes, each person will pass their painting to their neighbor at the table, who will add their own touch for 15 minutes. This continues until each painting goes all around the table and returns to (and goes home with) the artist who began it.
For new and returning members alike, this event is sure to be an enjoyable, stress-free way to get to know fellow nature artists, possibly learn and practice some new skills in acrylic, and go home with a unique painting. Space is limited to 25 artists, all supplies will be provided free-of-charge, and this event is for Nature Artists’ Guild members only. No previous experience in acrylic painting is required.
Linn Eldred’s contact information can be found in the January 5th e-mail sent to all current members. Members, please note that the e-mail provider for the Guild has changed and your e-mail may have incorrectly gone to your “social”, “promotions” or even “spam” folder. Finding that e-mail and changing its folder to “primary” should direct future e-mails to the correct folder.
What does bookbinding have to do with nature art? Plenty! Handmade books can be a lovely form of art, as groups of artists have shown in recent Nature Artists’ Guild exhibits.
Handmade books are a wonderful and useful place for artists to gather together some of their best sketches, drawings, and prints. Every artist has sketches that turned out so well that they deserve to be showcased. Putting them together into a handmade book is a great alternative to matting and framing each one.
Many accomplished artists make a habit of bringing rolled sheets of heavy watercolor paper into the field instead of a sketchbook. This enables them to create beautiful works in their preferred medium that can later be trimmed and bound together into a book.
The Morton Arboretum is offering a 5-evening Handmade Bookbinding Workshop beginning on January 21, 2020 and continuing into February.
Each student will make a total of four unique books of various styles over the course of the program and get personalized feedback from the instructors. All supplies are included.
This class is appropriate for all experience levels. Enjoy this hands-on opportunity to celebrate the gift of paper that trees and plants provide. Make something creative, beautiful, and useful, and gain the skills to continue the practice of bookmaking on your own. – Mortonarb.org
There is no requirement to be a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild nor The Morton Arboretum to participate in this workshop, but Arboretum members will receive a discount on the registration fee. Please click on the image or highlighted link to read more or to enroll in the workshop. This opportunity for learning could also be a great gift for that special artist in your life. Workshop space is limited, so early enrollment is encouraged.
