Not So Scare(y)crow!

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We don’t know whether she kept any birds away from any crops, but last year’s Nature Artists’ Guild’s debut scarecrow, Patty Painter, was certainly the most stylish one at The Morton Arboretum’s annual Scarecrow Trail, displayed near Meadow Lake all through October!

2011 Nature Artists’ Guild Scarecrow, Drawing by Patty Koenigsaecker

This year, the Nature Artists’ Guild is doing it again, and the theme, contributed by member Connie Devendorf, will be “Flower Fairy”.  We’ve asked costume designer and member Patty Koenigsaecker to once again come up with a sketch, but we’ll need lots of help to pull it all together.

Assembly of the scarecrow will take place at our Holiday Exhibit Fundraising Workshop (more details coming soon), on Saturday, September 15, (drop in downstairs at Thornhill any time between 10 am and 3 pm), along with all of our other workshop activities.

Workshops are always a lot of laughs and a wonderful way to spend some time getting to know your fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members!  Please join us!

Patty Painter and friends, 2011 Nature Artists’ Guild

2013 Nature Artists’ Guild Desk Calendar Artwork due September 14, 2012

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It is so hard to believe that this will be the fifth edition of the Nature Artists’ Guild desk calendar!  These calendars, initiated and designed by our lifetime member Mary Ingels, are some of our most successful fundraising projects ever.  Sold at our Holiday Exhibition and various other venues, the calendars are an annual favorite, and a great way for you to have your artwork published!

You should have already received your e-mail with instructions for preparing and submitting your artwork (due by September 14, 2012), and Mary makes participating easier than ever by giving you some great hints for obtaining quality photographs or scans.

So dig out your favorite paintings or drawings, carefully follow the instructions for submission, and be part of this wonderful project.  We’re looking forward to seeing your work!

Previous Nature Artists’ Guild Calendar Pages, copyrighted by the artists

The Beard Garden Paint-Out, September 13, 2012 from 9 am until 1 pm

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An exciting new paint-out opportunity has just been announced!  Landscape designer Susan Beard has invited the Nature Artists’ Guild to her and her husband Kenneth’s 3-acre garden at 3711 Madison, in Oak Brook, for a wonderful day of painting, sketching, and photographing!   Once featured in Chicagoland Gardening magazine, and included in The Garden Conservancy’s “most beautiful gardens in America”, The Beard Garden includes over 300 varieties of hosta, perennial beds, annuals, flagstone paths,  and even shady woodland gardens of mature trees, understory shrubs, and groundcovers. 

Please contact Carol Jean Rogalski (you can find her contact information in your Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook) if you would like to be included in this wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of The Beard Garden.   Don’t wait too long, though, because attendance will be limited to 12 artists from the Nature Artists’ Guild of the Morton Arboretum and 12 photographers from the Morton Arboretum Photographic Society. 

Nature Artists’ Guild Prepares for a Busy Autumn!

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This cooler weather (finally) reminds us that autumn is right around the corner, and it will be a busy season for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild!

In the next few weeks and months, there will be an exciting new paint-out opportunity (The Beard Garden),  instructions will be sent out for participating in the 2013 Nature Artists’ Guild calendar project, a workshop has been scheduled for our Holiday Exhibit fundraising, and not too far off, is our popular Holiday Exhibit itself!  Featured at this exhibit will be the wonderful artist and one of our hardest working guild members, Nancy Thyfault.

Check back soon for more about all of these upcoming events, and to read about Nancy and see some of her beautiful artwork!

The “Artist Trio” at the Next Nature Artists’ Guild Meeting, August 02, 2012

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The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to present one of our most popular meeting formats next Thursday,  August 2, 2012, from 7 to 9 pm at Thornhill.   This year, our “Artist Trio”  will include Fran Kelly, Carol Jean Rogalski, and Laverne Bohlin.  All three presenters are instructors in the Morton Arboretum’s Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate Program, as well as Nature Artists’ Guild members.

You will have a chance to learn the technique of painting dew drops and rain drops in watercolor when you stop by Fran Kelly’s demonstration.  Carol Jean Rogalski will offer insights into the history, techniques and materials, both historical and modern, of Illumination.  Laverne Bohlin will be presenting us with some techniques in developing gorgeous pastel landscapes.

This promises to be a fun, informative and somewhat informal meeting, where you will have the chance to try different materials, learn about different techniques, and interact with your fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members.  Please join us!

Art in the Garden at The Growing Place this Saturday, June 23, 2012

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Please join members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum this Saturday, June 23, 2012 at the Gardener’s Art Festival  at The Growing Place in Naperville, 25 W 471 Plank Road, Naperville, IL  60563, between 9 am and 5 pm.

This popular annual festival features garden craft and art sales, including pieces in glass and mosaic, a gourmet gardening demonstration, a garden photography demonstration, a “Garden Guru Panel” for your gardening questions, refreshments, and music throughout the gardens.  Of course, our favorite part will be Art in the Garden from 10 am until 4 pm, featuring members of the Nature Artists’ Guild creating artwork in the garden! You can view the full schedule for the day as well as some videos and photos of The Growing Place by clicking here, and read about their numerous gardens by clicking here.

If you are a Nature Artists’ Guild member and haven’t yet reserved your spot, please contact Suzanne Wegener (you can find her contact information in your Quarterly, or can contact her through The Morton Arboretum).  Even if you won’t be participating, please consider joining your fellow artists for an enjoyable day at this wonderful festival!


Our Next Paint-Out Promises to be a “Ball”!

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Connie Devendorf describes the location for our upcoming Ball Horticulture Paint-Out as “a beautiful garden with both annuals and perennials, featuring many of Ball Horticulture’s “showcase” plants. It is a private garden for Ball employees. We have been invited as their guests.” 

You can see photos and read more about The Ball Gardens at www.BallHort.com.  We’ll need to limit attendance to about 15 members, so please RSVP to Ku-mie Kim if you would like to attend.  You can find her e-mail address in your Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

Time: Monday, June 18, 2012 (9 am – 12 noon)

Place: Ball Horticulture Co., 622 Town Road, West Chicago, IL 60185

Lynda Wallis, Drawing from Nature, June 07, 2012 at Thornhill

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Please join us on Thursday evening, June 7 from 7 until 9 at Thornhill for a special program titled “Drawing from Nature”, featuring freelance artist Lynda Wallis.

Lynda is not only talented, but also a wonderfully versatile artist.  Her talents range from beautifully detailed illustrations of nature, including graphics featured on art maps and signs for many natural areas, to peaceful plein-air paintings.  Lynda’s artwork encompasses a wide variety of media, including pen and ink, watercolor and colored-pencil.

You can view numerous examples of Lynda’s artwork on her website, www.freelanceillustrations.com.  We’ve also heard from reliable sources that Lynda gives a warm and humorous presentation, so please join us for an enjoyable evening!

Upcoming Nature Artists’ Guild “Wildlife” Exhibition at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center

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The Landscape exhibit at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles, IL looks great, as you can see in the photos below (featuring Guild member Bobbie Brown)!  It’s hard to believe that June will be here in just a few weeks, and it will be time to hang the Nature Artists’ Guild’s  new exhibit, Wildlife.   

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In our Wildlife exhibit, we will include artwork featuring mammals (non-human), insects, reptiles, birds, and fish, and yes Fran, that does include ants!  Man-made objects may be included if they are not the focus of the artwork.  You may enter up to three pieces of artwork to be hung, and up to four pieces of bin art (please see your prospectus for all the details).

Nature Artists’ Guild members should have received their prospectus via mail or e-mail in mid-March, but please contact Paulette McDermott if you are unable to locate yours or have any questions.  The completed prospectus should be returned to Paulette by May 25, 2012 (by mail or e-mail) and the drop-off date for artwork will be June 2, 2012, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (which is also the pick-up time for the Landscapes exhibit artwork).  We are hoping to schedule a “Meet the Artists” reception, and will keep you posted on the date and time!

Field Trip this Friday evening to the Elmhurst Art Museum for Peggy Macnamara’s Artist’s Talk

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Please join fellow members of the Nature Artists’ Guild at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois, this Friday evening, May 4, 2012, at 6:30 pm for an Artist’s Talk by renowned nature artist Peggy Macnamara.  Click here to see Peggy on the television show Chicago Tonight a few days ago!

Peggy is the Artist-in-Residence at the Field Museum, an author of numerous books, and a frequent instructor for The Morton Arboretum’s Botanical Art and Illustration program.  Peggy’s former workshop students will attest to her warm and fun personality, as well as her fascinating and funny stories!

Peggy’s exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum (named the “Best Suburban Art Museum in Chicago” by Chicago Magazine), is titled “Peggy Macnamara: Field Work“, and will be featured from April 6, 2012 until June 1, 2012.  Even if you can’t join us on Friday evening, you’ll still have time to visit the museum to enjoy Peggy’s stunning watercolors.

The program is free and open to the public,  so please feel free to bring some friends!  We are hoping to find a good restaurant nearby to meet at for snacks or dessert after the program.