Marilyn Peretti of Glen Ellyn enjoyed botanical illustration classes at the Morton Arboretum beginning in 1992. She applies watercolor glazing techniques to botanicals as well as wild animals, landscapes, portraits and historical structures. Also she has trained in watercolor with Peggy McNamara (resident nature artist at the Field Museum and faculty of Chicago Art Institute); Donna Jill Witty, and Ted Nuttall, both nationally known watercolorists. She exhibited at the Arboretum for 26 years, as well as many other local art venues. She was invited to show 25 pieces at the International Crane Foundation of Baraboo, WI in 2005, and was featured artist in 2007 with the Nature Artists' Guild at the Arboretum. She had a solo exhibit at Oak Park Conservatory in 2016. Marilyn paints in acrylic on canvas, and has had oil with cold wax paintings on exhibit at the Encaustic Art Institute/Museum in Santa Fe 2014 to present. See other details at her website: www.pagesbyperetti.com

Since the early '90s she has been active in several poetry groups of Chicago's western suburbs. Published in many journals, she is a nominee for the Pushcart Poetry Prize. Many poems can be seen at https://perettipoems.wordpress.com. Her illustrated poetry books, Cranes to Come and Let Wings Take You reflect her esteem for wild creatures and wild organisms such as mushrooms. Her latest poetry book, Angel’s Wings, with ink drawings of various mushroom species, can be found at blurb.com/bookstore