This is one of the busiest times of the year for many of our Nature Artists’ Guild members. There are so many things to see and do as Spring bursts in with all its colors, sounds and scents!
Photo Credit Cantigny.org
The Nature Artists’ Guild is asking its members to consider setting aside a few hours on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, between 9 am and noon, to join their fellow artists at the Gardens at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL,for a morning of painting, drawing, sketching and photographing.
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. – Cantigny.org
Photo Credit Cantigny.org
After a morning of creating art and enjoying nature, members may be interested in visiting Cantigny’s Le Jardin for lunch. We have heard only wonderful things about the food from members who have been there! There is a $5 fee for parking at Cantigny, but there is no charge for admission to the gardens. Attendees are encouraged, but not required to RSVP to Jane Kellenberger, whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.
Please click on any of the highlighted links above to read more about Cantigny’s history, to see a map of the garden or a list of the plants, to view a bloom report, or for driving directions.
The Morton Arboretum will be blooming spectacularly this weekend (please click here for the latest Bloom Report) and the weather is expected to be sunny and in the 70’s! Could this mean record attendance at the 2016 Spring Exhibit of the Nature Artists’ Guild?
For all participating artists, it’s time to tie up those loose ends, and get ready for drop-off tomorrow (Wednesday, April 13, 2016 between 6 and 8 pm) at the Thornhill Education Center.
Is your artwork ready for drop off tomorrow evening?
Do you have a wrap, towel or case to protect your artwork and frame during transport?
If participating in the Mini-Canvas project, is your canvas complete, including finishing the edges?
If you have written an Artist’s Statement, have you made four copies to submit?
If you have artist’s business cards, are they ready to drop off?
All Nature Artists’ Guild members, exhibiting or not, are encouraged to invite friends and family to join us for the Opening Reception on Friday evening, April 15, 2016, between 5 and 9 pm at Thornhill.
In just over two weeks, from Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17, 2016, the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, IL,will be presenting its Spring 2016 Exhibition, featuring nearly 200 works of nature art in a wide variety of media, by approximately 50 nature artists. Featured Artist for the exhibit, Patty Koenigsaecker, will be also be exhibiting a number of her beautiful works in fiber, pastel and other media.
Artwork by Patty Koenigsaecker, poster design by Evelyn Grala
In addition –
Visitors will have the opportunity to watch and interact with artists in the process of creating artwork in various media.
Raffle tickets for gift baskets will be available for purchase. Two baskets include art supplies and a voucher for a private class by a talented art instructor, another includes various craft beers, another is geared towards birding enthusiasts, and one is an art basket for the entire family.
By popular demand, the mini-canvas fundraising project, introduced last autumn, will be repeated. Nature Artists’ Guild members have the option of creating one or more small artworks, which will be displayed in a group mosaic, and sold for just $20 each at the exhibit. (Members who still wish to participate, but have not yet obtained their canvas are encouraged to contact Jill Adzia, whose contact information can be found in their Yearbook).
There is no charge for admission to the exhibit or for parking, but admission fees for entry into The Morton Arboretum will apply for those who are not Arboretum members. Friends, family and guests of Nature Artists’ Guild members, as well as members of the Morton Arboretum are invited to attend a special opening celebration and preview on the evening of Friday, April 15, 2016 at the Thornhill Education Center between 5 and 9 pm. There will be no charge for admission to the Arboretum for the Friday evening event.
Drop in for an hour, or stay all morning. Sketch, paint, draw, sculpt, or snap a few photos. Sit with other artists, or find a quiet corner. Choose a giant mammal or a tiny bird.
Nature Artists’ Guild at Jurica-Suchy 2015
It’s all up to you at the Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out this Tuesday, March 22, 2016 from 9 until around noon at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, located in the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL.
For photos and a link to the campus map, please click here or on the highlighted link above. RSVP’s are not necessary for this paint-out. Participants may wish to bring a portable chair along with their art supplies.
The Morton Arboretum will be presenting a “Wine and Art Walk” on the weekend of August 27th and 28th, 2016. This juried art festival will feature the works of approximately 80 nature artists “in a wooded and open area along a paved trail around Meadow Lake located near the Visitor Center”.
The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is honored to introduce the 2016 Spring Exhibit Featured Artist, Patty Koenigsaecker. Please click on the tab at the top of this website, or onthis link to learn more about Patty and to see a few examples of her beautiful nature art.
Spring 2016 Exhibition Postcard for Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum. Artwork by Patty Koenigsaecker, postcard design by Evelyn Grala.
Please feel free to download and share the above postcard with friends, family and fellow nature and art lovers by right-clicking on the image. Copies of the exhibition postcard and poster are also available for distribution, and can be picked up at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. We appreciate everyone’s assistance in spreading the word about this wonderful exhibit of approximately 150 works of nature art, by nearly 50 talented artists!
1. Rhonda Nass and her award-winning colored-pencil artwork
2. Rhonda’s new book, Scratchings of a Madwoman
3. For interested Nature Artists’ Guild members, an opportunity to pick up their mini-canvas
4. Visitors and guests are welcome, and the program, admission to The Morton Arboretum, and parking are free-of-charge
5. The special beauty of The Morton Arboretum after dark, especially with a dusting of snow
For more information about Rhonda, please scroll down to a our previous post, or visit her website,www.rnass.com. Visitors do not need to be a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum to attend this program from 7 until 9 pm on Thursday, March 3, 2016, and the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum will direct them to the Thornhill Education Center building. More information about the Arboretum is available at www.mortonarb.org.
Grab your gear and go – no plane tickets or passports needed! On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, between 9 am and noon, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will once again have the chance to sketch, draw, paint, and photograph specimens from every corner of the earth by visiting the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum in the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road,in Lisle, IL. Please click on this link for a map of the campus.
For the first time, the museum has offered to bring specific specimens out of storage by request. Paint-out participants can request specimens by contacting Jane Kellenberger (whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook) before Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Jane will forward the requests to the museum staff. A searchable online specimen catalog of the museum’s collection is available by clicking here.
Members can RSVP to Jane,but there is plenty of room for everyone, so last minute drop-ins are absolutely welcome!
Some seating is available, but participants are encouraged to bring a folding chair along with their art supplies and camera.
There are only a few more weeks to enjoy the Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit at Gallery 200, 200 Main Street, West Chicago, IL. Thanks to all the participating artists, to Sharon Malec, Laurie Alvear and Gary Chipman for doing such a great job hanging the exhibit, and to Gail Diedrichsen for these photos!
The exhibit will continue until March 3, 2016, and gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from noon until 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 4 pm.
God’s Will, colored pencil, copyright Rhonda Nass. Used with permission. Text not part of original image.
Rhonda Nassis an internationally acclaimed, award-winning artist, who also teaches workshops in both colored pencil and acrylic techniques at The Morton Arboretum as part of the Visiting Artists Series. The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is honored to sponsor a presentation on colored pencil and a book signing by Rhonda on Thursday, March 3, 2016, and to co-sponsor a workshop with the Arboretum the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 4th through 6th, 2016, in which Rhonda will share her techniques for painting in acrylic.
At Thursday evening’s presentation between 7 and 9 pm at Thornhill, Rhonda will discuss some of her colored-pencil artwork, including God’s Will, shown above (yes that is colored pencil, and a recent winner in the Colored Pencil Society of America’s 23rd Annual International Exhibit!), and sign copies of her new book, Scratchings of a Madwoman. This gorgeous book is filled with Rhonda’s colored pencil drawings, as well as her beautifully written inspirational stories, and an entire section is devoted to Rhonda’s techniques for working with colored pencils. Rhonda’s kind and generous nature certainly comes through in this book as she shares her thoughts and artwork with her readers.
Nature Artists’ Guild members, visitors and guests are welcome to attend this program at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. There is no charge for admission or parking, either to the Arboretum or to this program. Visitors should let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the program and they will be directed to Thornhill.
Mimosa Fireworks, acrylic, copyright Rhonda Nass. Used with permission. Text not part of original image.
On the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Nature Artists’ Guild and The Morton Arboretum are excited to co-sponsor an acrylic workshop by Rhonda. To enroll in this workshop, please visit the class listings at The Morton Arboretum’s website, or click on this direct link to the workshop. This workshop is limited to 15 participants, and is expected to fill quickly! Rhonda describes it as follows –
Acrylic Stroke-Free, A New Watercolor– If visions of harshly-colored gobs of paint come to mind when you hear the work acrylic, you are not alone. This class will blow that perspective out the window. Through a simple, step-by-step exercise, you’ll learn a unique acrylic technique that involves diluting paint from the tube and applying layers of translucent color with a feathering stroke that results in a stroke-free final appearance with unlimited potential for extremely tight detail and dramatic coloring and lighting. We’ll take a fresh (and brief) look at composition and proceed with each artist beginning a simple painting of a tomato and leaf to learn the technique enough to move on to a painting using the subject of her/his choice. There will be time to gain enough skills through demonstrations, one-on-one time, and practice in the workshop to leave the class confident to complete with with excellence the personalized acrylic artwork.
Please click on any of the highlighted links above to learn more. For more about Rhonda and her artwork, please click on this link to her website, www.rnass.com.
The images above are copyrighted by Rhonda Nass. As always, the use of any image on this website is prohibited without the written consent of the artist.
Nature Artists' Guild 