The first opportunity this week for guild members to spend a little time with their fellow artists to talk, eat or drink, learn something new, take some photos, or sketch or paint will be at the the weekly Coffee Club on Tuesday morning at 9 am at the Visitor’s Center of The Morton Arboretum. This paint-out takes place rain or shine and there is plenty of seating in and around the Visitor’s Center.
Linn Eldred has been working on her sketchbook. She does each initial drawing in pencil and completes the work in ink and watercolor.
The second paint-out will be at the Gardens of Cantigny on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 9 am. It is recommended that interested members contact Linn Eldred to be added to the contact list for weather-related updates, but last-minute and late participants are welcome.
Nature Artists’ Guild at previous Cantigny Gardens paint-out.
Please click on the highlighted links to learn more.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that there will be an exhibit of members’ work at the McCord Gallery in Palos Park, IL throughout the month of August, 2021. The exhibit, Visions of Nature, will feature artwork that has been previously exhibited at The Morton Arboretum and will take place from August 5 until September 5. A reception will be held on Sunday, August 22 at 2 pm.
Guild members will receive an email soon with a link to the prospectus and all the details and instructions for participating.
The McCord Gallery & Cultural Center is located in the stately pre-Civil War McCord House and is an integral part of the Palos Park community, educating music and visual-arts students in addition to serving as a gallery. The gallery is open every day except Sunday.
McCord Gallery & Cultural Center, Palos Park, IL. Image credit mccordgallery.org.
On the morning of Wednesday, July 7, 2021, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to meet at 9 am at the Visitor’s Center of Cantigny Parkfor a paint-out in the gardens.
Cantigny Park is the 500-acre former estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The park is now the home of two museums, a visitor’s center with a cafe, restaurant, and gift shop, an education center, walking trails and a picnic area, the gardens, and a golf complex.
The Gardens at Cantigny at 29 acres, is one of the largest display gardens in the Midwest and includes more than 160,000 flowers, shrubs and trees as well as statuary and water features.
“The Gardens at Cantigny beckon you. They tug at your senses, drawing you closer. If you listen carefully, each garden will tell you a story, unfolding with every step. You will feel your body relax as you absorb the landscape and the landscape devours your stress. The hustle of life melts away just a few steps into our 29 acres of flourishing, blooming tranquility. Come enjoy the pace of nature here in The Gardens at Cantigny.”
Admission to Cantigny Park is always free, and parking is also free on theday of the paint-out. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who are interested in attending are encouraged to contact Linn Eldred to be ensured of receiving weather-related updates. Linn’s contact information can be found in the guild’s Yearbook. Last-minute or late attendees are also welcome.
Linn Eldred, who organizes the paint-outs for the Nature Artists’ Guild would like to announce a fun new experience for members- the TuesdayMorningCoffee Club!
Exterior of Ginkgo Restaurant and Cafe facing Meadow Lake at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org.
Coffee, tea, juice, or water – doesn’t matter. Sketching, meeting and spending time with fellow artists, and enjoying nature are the important elements of these gatherings. Interested members will meet on Tuesday mornings at 9 am at the Visitor Center ofThe Morton Arboretum. Attendees will decide each Tuesday their plans for the morning (usually depending on the weather.) Even on rainy days, the views from inside the Visitor Center’s Ginkgo Cafe offer plenty of sketching inspiration.
This new adventure began last Tuesday and received good reviews by the participants, who plan to return next week. While no advance notice is required for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to attend, each will need to reserve a timed-entry ticketfrom the Arboretum’s website. Tickets are frequently still available on the morning of the event (so far – subject to change.) The Arboretum’s Know Before You Go page has further information.
Rhonda Nass will be presenting an online introduction to scratchboard to members of the Nature Artists’ Guild tomorrow evening, June 3, 2021, beginning at 7 pm. Guild members received an email on May 27 with some valuable information from Rhonda as well as instructions for attending. It’s not too late to obtain a few basic scratchboard supplies to follow along!
The three slides show work in progress and the spectacular finished piece, Zinnia Medley#2, copyright Rhonda Nass.
Zinnia Medley #3, scratchboard, copyright Rhonda Nass. Used with permission. Please click on the image to see more of Rhonda’s work.
In just one week, on Thursday, June 3, 2021, beginning at 7 pm,Rhonda Nass will be presenting an online program about using scratchboard to create stunning works of nature art to members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum. Guild members will be receiving an email soon with more information and a link and instructions for participating.
It is a thrill and an honor for the guild to welcome back such a delightful and talented artist and educator. Please click on this link to Rhonda’s website or on the image to see more of her extraordinary work.
Whether on a solitary trip to the prairie or while participating in the paint-out at The Morton Arboretum, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild found plenty of spring treasures to sketch last week. Here are some that members have shared (please click on any image for a full version) –
Whether or not tomorrow’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out goes forward (it’s all up to the weather), there will be many more opportunities for guild members to paint outdoors in the coming months.
Many artists assume that painting en plein air involves traipsing through the woods lugging large easels and solvents and later trying to get back to the car without smearing or dropping their fresh (and wet) oil paintings. Karen will show that there can be an easier way.
Enjoy a creative morning outside with this art class “en plein air” at The Morton Arboretum. Under the guidance of your instructor, capture the landscape, the form of a tree, or the tiny detail of a flower bud. Bring your graphite pencils, colored pencils, pen and ink, watercolors, or other medium of choice, and get tips for building a field kit of art supplies you can easily carry with you on any trip outdoors. Enjoy plenty of time to work independently with the support of your instructor.
For Nature Artists’ Guild members who enjoy sketching trees, flowering shrubs, or late wildflowers or bulbs, painting plein-air, or just taking photos, a beautiful morning in May at The Morton Arboretum would create all of those opportunities.
Paint-Out Chair, Linn Eldred, has arranged an outing beginning at 10 am on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 for members of the guild to experience many of the wonders of spring at The Morton Arboretum. Members can let Linn know by this Saturday if they are interested in attending, (Linn’s contact information is in the Nature Artists’ Yearbook or in an email sent to all members on April 27, 2021) and she will reserve group tickets. Last-minute attendees who are also members of the arboretum can reserve their own timed-entry tickets by clicking here.
Participating artists will meet near the front of the Visitor’s Center and spread out from there. It would be beneficial to check theKnow Before You Gopage from the arboretum’s website before attending.
We look forward to seeing some delightful sketches and paintings on this website after the outing! Participants can share their work by sending images to Denise Fisk, whose contact information will also be found in the Yearbook or in the April 27 member email.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is honored and excited to welcome back Rhonda Nass for an online presentation beginning at 7 pm on Thursday, June 3, 2021.
Rhonda has astonished and captivated viewers with her colored pencil and acrylic work for years and has now added scratchboard to her list of media mastered. She is fondly known as a kind and sharing educator and her teaching style helps give students the confidence and inspiration needed to begin their own journey in a new medium.
Please take a moment to follow one of the highlighted links to enjoy images of Rhonda’s stunning work. More about the presentation and instructions for attending will be shared with Nature Artists’ Guild members by email and on this website in the coming weeks.
Nature Artists' Guild 