That was Carol Jean Rogalski’s comment about the photos she received from Catherine Donovan of Catherine’s garden. Luscious does indeed seem to be just the right word! On the morning of Tuesday, August 12, 2014, from about 9 am until noon, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to paint, draw, sketch and photograph in Catherine’s garden. This large garden, located at 320 South Waiola, La Grange, IL, features a wide variety of plants, as well as the water feature.
Luscious, yes!
Please contact Carol Jean if you would like to attend. Nature Artists’ Guild members will find her contact information in their Yearbook.
The Nature Artists’ Guild annual “Nature Artist Trio” presentation is one of our most popular and well-attended programs each year! From 7 until 9 pm on Thursday, August 7, 2014, each of three talented artists will share tips and techniques of their unique artwork process. This is a great opportunity for our members and visitors to learn some basics of a type of artwork they may never have tried before. Since attendees are divided into three smaller groups which rotate between presentations, it is a chance to get an up-close and often hands-on look at the techniques and materials. Each presentation is like a mini-class!
This year, we are featuring the talents of Peggy McGahan, Mary Ann Jimenez, and Charlotte Doyle Leavitt.
Peggy McGahan will be sharing some unique methods for ” adding water to colored pencil in different ways, including using water-soluble colored pencil, using water-soluble crayons, and combining water-color paints with colored pencils”. Sounds intriguing! You can see more of her work by clicking on this link to Peggy’s website.
From the Thorns, copyright Peggy McGahan
Mary Ann Jimenez will be working with silverpoint, a fascinating type of ancient drawing which is currently experiencing a revival. Wikipedia explains that “The initial marks of silverpoint appear grey as other metalpoints, but silverpoint lines, when exposed to air, tarnish to a warm brown tone. ” It is a delicate and subtly beautiful form of artwork. Mary Ann is a member of The Society of Metalpoint Artists.
Silverpoint drawing, copyright Mary Ann Jimenez
Charlotte Doyle Leavitt is one of our most talented watercolorist members, but it appears that she will be mixing things up for this presentation, and working on collage featuring some of those watercolor images. We are looking forward to seeing what creative techniques she has been working on!
We welcome visitors and guests to this informal and fun meeting, and it is a wonderful chance to meet and talk with some of our Nature Artists’ Guild members. There is no charge for attendance or parking, so just let the gate attendant know you are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild meeting and you will be directed to Thornhill.
The previous Nature Artists’ Guild post incorrectly listed the date for the August meeting as August 1, 2014. The correct date for the Artist Trio presentation at Thornhill is Thursday, August 7, 2014. The post has been corrected, and weapologize for any confusion this may have caused!
We understand how busy our members are, especially with the beautiful weather we’ve been enjoying, but don’t forget to set aside a little time for your art! We have a number of exciting events coming up for our Nature Artists’ Guild members, so you may want to mark your calendars. More details about these events will be posted and e-mailed to members as the dates approach.
On Sunday, July 20, 2014, please join Nature Artists’ Guild members and Morton Arboretum Photographic Society members at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum, 108 S. Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, Il, for an artists’ reception from 2 until 4 pm. Don’t forget, your fellow artists are some of your most loyal supporters, and they need your support, too! Plus, we hear that those MAPS photographers are a lively bunch, and it promises to be a fun gathering. The public is invited to attend, so please feel free to bring some friends or family members.
On Thursday, August 7, 2014, from 7 until 9 pm at Thornhill, three Nature Artists’ Guild artists, Peggy McGahan, Charlotte Doyle Leavitt and Mary Ann Jiminez, will share some of their techniques and tips. This is a great chance to see fellow artists at work and pick up some new techniques. As always, guests and visitors are welcome!
On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, Nature Artists’ Guild members will meet about 9 am at the gorgeous garden of Catherine Donovan in LaGrange, Il. Please let Carol Jean Rogalski know if you’d like to attend.
On Tuesday, September 9, 2014, at 9 am, Tanner Musso of Hinsdale, IL, will host Nature Artists’ Guild members in her garden for the first time. Please contact Carol Jean Rogalski if you’d like to attend this wonderful new paint-out.
More than 50 artists of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be exhibiting over 100 pieces of art in this joint exhibit with the Morton Arboretum Photographic Society at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum. This promises to be one of the largest exhibits of fine nature art and photography in the area this summer!
Please join the artists and photographers at a reception on July 20, 2014 from 2 to 4 pm. For details, dates, times and the address, please click on the postcard below to enlarge.
The Nature Artists’ Guild Paint-Out at the garden of Susan and Kenneth Beard in Oak Brook, Illinois, has become an annual favorite. Space is limited at this nationally renowned private garden, so members are encouraged to contact Carol Jean Rogalski (you can find her contact information in your Yearbook) as soon as possible to reserve their spot! The paint-out is scheduled for Tuesday, July 8, 2014 from 9 am until noon.
Nature Artists’ Guild members may remember Heeyoung Kim from the wonderful presentation she gave to our group last year. A few days ago, Heeyoung was interviewed by WTTW’s Chicago Tonight.
You can view the interview with Heeyoung, as well as read about her personal crusade to paint and preserve 200 native plants, and be treated to a slide show of her work, by clicking on this link to the WTTW website.
We have already received some photos from Carol Jean Rogalski from yesterday’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at Mayslake Peabody Estate. Just click on any photo to enlarge. Enjoy!
Karen Johnson shares her thoughts and photos from the paint-out on her blog. Please click on this link to Karen’s Nature Art to read more.
Our Nature Artists’ Guild President, Susan Bartlett, has a request for our members –
Hello Members! We have a great opportunity to participate in the Gardener’s Art Festival at The Growing Place garden center in Naperville, Illinois, on Saturday, June 21, 2014. There will be approximately 40 artists there throughout the day, but the Nature Artists’ Guild is their main feature. We have a great relationship with The Growing Place and we really want to support this event for them.
We need five to six artists to paint or draw in their gardens. There are two shifts to pick from, 12 to 2 pm or 2 to 4 pm. This event lets you draw and paint some wonderful specimens and have fun meeting fellow artists and gardeners. If you are interested, please contact Susan Bartlett as soon as possible. You will find the contact information in your Yearbook.
Please click on the following link to read more about this and other festivals at The Growing Place.
Many of our Nature Artists’ Guild members are also members of other artists’ organizations in the area. One of these organizations, the Dupage Art League, has members who meet once per week to paint outdoors. These “Friday Morning Plein Air Painters” have issued their summer schedule, so if you are interested, please click on this link to the Dupage Art League for more information. Thank you to Nature Artists’ Guild members Barb Denny and Linn Eldred for this tip!
Also, “Friends of the Field”, an informal group of artists who meet at the Field Museum to paint from the exhibits, led by Artist in Residence Peggy Macnamara, will be meeting on June 14, 2014. Museum addition fees will apply. Unfortunately, we do not have any more information about this event, so if any of our members have the details about the meeting time or place, please respond in the comment section below.
Update – Nature Artists’ Guild member Irena Gintilas has kindly provided us with details on the event. Please click on her comment below. Thanks Irena!
Nature Artists' Guild 