Reserve Your Spot for the Beard Garden Paint-Out

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

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.

Please click here to read more about the Beard Garden and click here to view some more photos from the 2013 paint-out.

Nature Artists' Guild artists at the 2013 Beard Garden Paint-Out
Nature Artists’ Guild artists at the 2013 Beard Garden Paint-Out

Botanical Artist Heeyoung Kim Interviewed by Chicago Tonight

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

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.

Nature Artists’ Guild to be Featured at The Growing Place on June 21, 2014

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
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.
Image credit - TheGrowingPlace.com
Image credit – TheGrowingPlace.com

Plenty of Opportunities For Summer Painting!

Published on by Denise1 Comment

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!

The Nature Artists’ Guild Returns to Mayslake Peabody Estate on June 10, 2014

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

As you can see from the photos below, Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st Street, Oak Brook, Illinois, was the location for one of the loveliest paint-outs of last year for the Nature Artists’ Guild.  The weather was gorgeous, the historical home provided a stately background, the lake was picturesque, the flowers were in full bloom, and our Nature Artists’ Guild artists completed the scene that could have been taken right out of an Impressionist painting.

All Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to attend this year’s wonderful gathering on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, from 9 am until noon.  We especially encourage our newer members or members who have not previously attended paint-outs to attend.  This would be a great no-pressure opportunity to try your hand at plein-air painting, sketching, or even photographing, and we think you’ll find your fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members to be friendly, helpful and encouraging.

There is plenty of room for all, so there is no need to RSVP, but if you have any questions, please contact Carol Jean Rogalski, whose contact information you can find in your Yearbook.

Thank you to our event photographer, Kathy Wagner-Selbach for these beautiful photos from last year’s event.

 

Presenting Sterling Morton Library Treasures on June 5, 2014

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

Nature Artists’ Guild members will have a wonderful and rare opportunity to view some of the treasures of the Sterling Morton Library’s Botanical Art Collection at our meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 7 until 9 pm.  The presentation, by Library Collections Manager Rita Hassert and Art Collection Assistant and Nature Artists’ Guild member Arlene Widrevitz, will take place in the Sterling Morton Library.

According to Arlene, we can look forward to a glimpse of contemporary as well as seventeenth century artwork.  “The new acquisition by the French artist Pancrace Bessa will be featured, as well as work by artists Barbara Regina Dietzsch, Pierre Joseph Redoute, Nancy S. Hart, Julie Sutter-Blair and many others.”

Please follow the links below for more information about each artist and to preview examples of their work (not necessarily those in the Sterling Morton Library collection).

As always, guests and visitors are welcome to join us at this program.  Please enter The Morton Arboretum at the main entrance and let the gatehouse attendant know you are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild presentation.  There is no fee for attendance or parking.

Speaking of Birds – Updates!

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Originally posted May 2014)

The migrating birds are here (and The Morton Arboretum certainly has attracted its share), but very soon all the leaves will be on the trees and even though you may still hear the birds, you might not be able to find them.  Before you know it, they will be gone again, heading towards their breeding grounds.

The above artwork featuring birds, created by Nature Artists’ Guild members, just may inspire you to get out there and take a look.  All artwork is copyrighted by the artists and is the sole property of the artists.

All Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to submit images of their artwork (up to four images) featuring birds to be added to this slide show.  Please send your artwork  to Evelyn Grala (you can find her contact information in your Yearbook).  When submitting artwork to Evelyn, please indicate whether it may be used in the Quarterly, on this site, or both.  We look forward to seeing even more Nature Artists’ Guild birds!

Busy June for Nature Artists’ Guild Members

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment

We realize that June is already a very busy month for many Nature Artists’ Guild members, but the wonderful activities the Guild has planned may entice you to consider setting aside a few hours for the following –

  • Your completed prospectus for the upcoming Bloomingdale Park District Museum exhibit is due on Thursday, June 5, 2014.
  • We will be treated to a rare glimpse of some of the Sterling Morton Library’s treasures at our program on Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 7 pm until 9 pm (in the library).
  • Our next paint-out is being held at the gorgeous Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, Illinois on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 from 9 am until noon.

Check your e-mail, your Quarterly, or here for more details in the upcoming weeks!

Birds, Birds, Everywhere

Published on by DeniseLeave a comment
Blue Jays, copyright Evelyn Grala
Blue Jays, copyright Evelyn Grala

Spring migration is underway, and suddenly you may be seeing all sorts of colorful birds that you’ve never seen before!   One of these jewels would sure spice up your latest sketch or painting, but the photo you took was probably a little blurry, or perhaps you didn’t have time to note all the markings and colors in your sketchbook before the bird flew away. How will you identify your bird so that you can do more research and fill in the missing details?

Luckily, bird classes are almost as abundant as the migrating birds this spring.  As always, The Morton Arboretum is offering their popular Spring Bird Walks (the next one is scheduled for May 17, 2014).  These short hikes are designed to familiarize you with the native and migrating birds at the Arboretum.

Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum in Lisle, IL, is offering the Backyard Birds of Illinois Workshop and Nature Walk for all ages and levels of birdwatchers on May 17, 2014.

Please click on the event titles above for links to more information about these one-day events.