The Maker's Space

From November 21, 2014 through January 3, 2015, The Morton Arboretum glows   with dazzling LED lights and trees that respond to your touch and voice, as Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum return for a second year. This is definitely something that you can take just yourself for your own artist date, or take the whole family!  It is NOT to be missed.  The designers of Lightswitch, Jon Featherstone at Lightswitch.net did a magnificent artistic highlighting of a wide variety of trees.  Not only is the visual sensation breathtaking, but the coordinated music adds to the awe.  I was amazed to see the parking lot full, and the mile long path filled with families walking peacefully and joyously through the designated, well marked, easily accessed pathway.  You must have tickets to attend and they are filling up quickly.  This is the second year, and the word has spread of this artistic gem in DuPage County.  Visit the Morton Arboretum's website at www.mortonarb.org for

Rosemaling is decorative folk painting from Norway.  On Tuesday, November 18th, we gathered to explore this old and declining art form that was prevalent in Scandinavia and brought to America with Scandinavian immigrants.  The word Rosemaling has its origin in Norwegian dialects and actually means decorative painting.  The flower like clusters were called roses, or "rosur."  It flourished at its peak from about 1780 to 1850.  Country painters took inspiration from church art, city crafts, from illustrated broadsheets, traditional patterns, cast iron stove panels and faience.  They didn't copy, as city painters were taught to do.  They used what they found according to their own fantasy and premises.  Often we see elements from different styles side by side and blended in with purely imaginative flowers.  In this way it became a spontaneous and individual form of expression.  Rosemaling was practiced over most of Norway.  In particular, it bloomed in the valleys east