<![CDATA[Duluth Fine Arts League - Blog]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:46:08 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[January Meeting Recap: Caroline Elise Kiester]]>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:58:15 GMThttps://www.duluthfineartsleague.org/blog/january-meeting-recap-caroline-elise-kiester
At our January Duluth Fine Arts League meeting, we were excited to welcome Caroline Elise Kiester as our featured guest speaker.

Caroline is a Georgia-based sculptor who began her artistic background in 2D work before transitioning into sculpture. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Georgia State University in 2025. Her work focuses on animal forms as a way to explore human emotion, vulnerability, and connection.​
During the meeting, Caroline shared insight into her creative process and the variety of materials she works with, including clay, wood, metal, glass, and mixed media. She also spoke about her experience with woodworking, welding, blacksmithing, mold making, and her strong interest in metal casting and foundry work, which she plans to continue pursuing in her career.

​Members really enjoyed hearing from Caroline and appreciated her willingness to share both her process and experience. We’re grateful she joined us and helped kick off the year with a great conversation.

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]]><![CDATA[DFAL Hosted Thom Suddreth in October]]>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 17:57:11 GMThttps://www.duluthfineartsleague.org/blog/november-01st-2025
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Thom Suddreth has a long history of working with wood. He has designed and built everything from furniture to guitar stands.

In 2019, Thom turned his attention to woodturning, the centuries-old craft of shaping wood into art with a lathe and hand tools. Since then, nothing else has captured his imagination and creativity. The COVID lockdown provided an uninterrupted period for him to learn and practice, and a new career was born.
Over the years, Thom has used rescued wood from Southern states to create beautiful hand-turned treasures by applying carving, color, texture, and pyrography (woodburning) to capture the features that make each piece of wood unique.
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Thom’s art has been exhibited in local galleries, juried art competitions, and craft fairs throughout Georgia. He has been fortunate to work with master turners throughout the Southeast and is a member of the American Association of Woodturners and the Etowah River Woodturners.
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Learn more about Thom by visiting his website: https://www.georgiawoodturner.com/gallery
]]><![CDATA[DFAL Hosts Ceramic Sculptor Beau Raymond]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:04:53 GMThttps://www.duluthfineartsleague.org/blog/dfal-hosts-ceramic-sculptor-beau-raymond
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At our most recent meeting, members of the Duluth Fine Arts League had the pleasure of welcoming guest speaker Beau Raymond, a talented ceramic sculptor with deep roots in Cajun Country.

Born and raised in Cut Off, Louisiana, Beau grew up surrounded by the culture and traditions of the bayou. He earned his BA from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux before going on to complete his MFA at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His artistic journey eventually brought him to Georgia, where he has left a lasting mark on the ceramics community.

Beau previously served as Resident Artist at Roswell Clay West and later went on to teach design and ceramics at both Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University. He also managed the clay studio at the Arts Center at Johns Creek, helping foster creativity for artists at every level.

Today, Beau and his wife, Esther, own and operate Hawk and Heron Clay, where they teach wheel and handbuilding classes, lead workshops, and continue to exhibit their work in both local and national shows. His talk offered members a unique perspective into the life of a working artist—blending his academic expertise, his Cajun upbringing, and his passion for building community through clay.

We are grateful to Beau for sharing his story and his artistry with our group. 

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Join Us Next Time
We invite you to attend our next Duluth Fine Arts League meeting on Tuesday, October 15, at the Festival Center. Socializing begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Whether you are an artist yourself or simply love the arts, we’d love for you to join us!

]]><![CDATA[March Happenings]]>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:51:46 GMThttps://www.duluthfineartsleague.org/blog/march-happeningsMember's Meeting
Join Us for a Trip to the Hudgens Center for the Arts on Wed., Mar. 20th at 6:30 pm hosted by Laura Ballance.
​Please meet us there: 
6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Bldg. 300/ Duluth
(Adjacent to Gas South Arena)
Enjoy wine and refreshments.
This will be in lieu of our regular March meeting.

Laura Ballance is the executive director at the Hudgens and will be our host and speaker that night. Please bring a friend! About Laura
The two exhibits we will be viewing at the Hudgens are:
  • Her Fragrance is Still Among Us - A collection of photographs and quilted textiles from Amanda Greene.
  • Stand in Ansel Adams' Footsteps - This 8th annual competition from the Georgia Nature Photographers Association began as a humble way to pay tribute to the legendary Ansel Adams.

Upcoming Duluth READS

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