Join Us at Our Annual Holiday Party and Election of Officers on December 1, 2011

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It’s been a wonderful year for the Nature Artists’ Guild, and what better way to celebrate than with a holiday party?

On Thursday evening, December 1, from 6:30 to 9, members and their guests are invited to join us in the beautiful Founders’ Room at Thornhill for good food, lots of laughs and even some raffle prizes, (as well as our annual board elections).

If you’re interested, you’ll also have the opportunity to purchase Nature Artists’ Guild 2012 desk calendars, or our Nature Artists’ Guild t-shirts, featuring the artwork of our current featured artist, Ku-mie Kim.

Please join us for a good time and a great way to meet or catch up with your fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members!  Bring a dish to pass if you can, and if you would like to contribute a book, print or other item to the raffle, it would certainly be appreciated (but definitely not required).  If you’re a new member, we’d love to see you there and will do our best to make sure you feel welcome!

Two Important Arrivals – Our First Frost and The Morton Arboretum Education Program Winter Schedule!

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Waking up to our first frost last week has many of us thinking about the upcoming winter!    Instead of dreading the cold, the snow, the ice and the slush, why not think of winter as a wonderful time for learning something new?   After all, the gardening and yardwork are done, summer vacations are over, and the kids or grandkids are back in school – now it’s time for you!

Whether you prefer to spend the cold months all warm and toasty indoors, or outdoors exploring the magical beauty that only snow and ice can provide, the new winter schedule for The Morton Arboretum Education Program has something for you. 

After choosing your winter art classes, don’t forget to check out some of the other areas of interest –Natural History, Nature Photography, Ornithology, Horticulture and Gardening and Woodland Stewardship.   Learning something completely new and different is a great way to enrich those winter months!

 Click here for The Morton Arboretum Education Program schedules.

Georgeous Weather and Color Expected for Tomorrow’s Paint-Out

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If you’re still undecided about attending tomorrow’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at The Morton Arboretum, please click here to see their latest “Autumn Color Report”!

With nice weather expected (mostly sunny, 65 degrees), it’s likely the Arboretum will be the place to be this weekend, so although we’ll meet at 9:30 in front of Thornhill, it probably wouldn’t hurt to come a little early to beat the crowd.  The gates will open at 7 am!

Sterling Pond, © Marilyn Peretti

Update – Enjoy this “start” of  a mixed media painting of Sterling Pond, created by Marilyn Peretti using cold wax and oil, painted with a palette knife!

Ku-mie Kim, Featured Artist for the 2011 Holiday Exhibit of The Nature Artists’ Guild

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Our new header features detail from Yellow Honeysuckle, Lonicera reticulata, by our 2011 Holiday Exhibit featured artist, Ku-mie Kim.  You can read more about Ku-mie and see some of her lovely images on our “Featured Artist” page by clicking the tab above or by clicking here.  Congratulations, Ku-mie, and we look forward to seeing many more examples of your wonderful talent at our exhibit in November!

Autumn Color Paint-Out at The Morton Arboretum, October 22, 2011

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The trees of The Morton Arboretum have begun their big event – their annual display of reds, golds, oranges and violets against a deep blue sky!   The Nature Artists’ Guild has scheduled a paint-out during this show to try to capture at least some of all of that beauty.  On Saturday, October 22, 2011, we’ll be meeting in front of Thornhill at 9:30 a.m. before heading out to choose our location(s) for painting and sketching.  Whether you prefer to stay with the group or wander off on your own, we can guarantee that you will find some trees all decked out in their finest, ready and willing to be your models for the morning.

Bring a thermos, your supplies, and a portable chair or stool and we’ll supply the muffins!  The paint-out will be held rain or shine, but we’ll hope for one of those bright blue October skies.  Please invite your friends from other art groups, as this paint-out is open to everyone, members and non-members alike, but please keep in mind that non-members of The Morton Arboretum will still be charged a gate fee.  No RSVP is necessary, and in case of rain, please meet at the Sterling Morton Library.

Artwork for Ceramics Projects Due Next Week

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Our Fundraising Chair Nancy Thyfault has again arranged for members of  the Nature Artists’ Guild to have their very own artwork reproduced onto ceramic tiles, ornaments or pendants!  The process requires a digital image of your artwork, and you should have  received the price list and details via e-mail a few weeks ago.  This special pricing was arranged by Nancy especially for our members, and is available not only for items to be sold at our Artisan (fundraising) table at the Holiday Exhibit in November, but also for items you may choose to make for yourself or give as gifts!   If you have any questions about the project, please contact Nancy. 

Order forms and payment must be postmarked by, and artwork e-mailed by October 25. 

Need Artwork for Winter Quarterly

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Whether you have finished pieces ready for our upcoming Holiday show, or just a few sketches from your backyard, we’d love to include a few images of your creations in the Winter edition of the Nature Artists’ Guild members’ publication, “The Quarterly”. 

All you need to do is send a JPEG file to Evelyn Grala (her contact information can be found in your Yearbook).  If you don’t have a professional scan of your artwork or a home printer/scanner, any office supply chain should be able to scan your artwork (usually up to 11 x 17 inches) for just a few dollars (just make sure the artwork is not under glass).  They’ll even e-mail the JPEG file to Evelyn for another small fee!  Evelyn will be able to crop off or clean up the edges of the scan if needed, and then it’s ready for publication! 

Please be sure to e-mail all images to Evelyn by October 25 to be included in the Winter issue.

One of Our Favorites, Marlene Hill Donnelly, October 6, 2011

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Nature Artists’ Guild liaison, Suzanne Wegener describes our upcoming program featuring Marlene Hill Donnelly –

Nature artists have color considerations beyond those of other artists—we need to be able to mix both the intense and precise colors of our flowers, birds and insects, and the quiet but luminous colors of shadow, reflected light and distance.  Marlene will first demonstrate her system of “color mapping” designed to create a team of colors for any subject to ensure both accuracy and interest.  Next she will demonstrate a very loose and expressive method that can be used to learn color mixing in a fun and meditative way as well as to create finished paintings or backgrounds.

 Marlene HIll Donnelly is a third generation artist with degrees in Fine Art from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and in Zoology, with a minor in Botany, from University of Illinois.  She is a science artist Associate for the Field Museum, reconstructing ancient landscapes and extinct plants and animals for the Department of Geology.  She also works with the Smithsonian Institution, University College Dublin, Ireland, and many other institutions, bringing the past to life.  Her work is widely published and is exhibited in museums throughout the world.  She is a Certificate Course instructor at the Chicago Botanic Garden and at the Morton Arboretum.

Green Dragon © Marlene Hill Donnelly