It’s no secret artists are often inspired by nature. It follows, then, that artists often choose to live and work in natural settings. This certainly was the case for the artists I met during the Northeast Georgia Arts Tour.
The northeast corner of the state of Georgia is occupied by the Appalachian Mountains with some mountains reaching elevations between 4000 and 5000 feet. It’s a beautiful, rural area with rolling hills, lush, green forests and stunning mountain vistas.
“Why do we, as creators and as viewers, keep returning to trees, mountains, oceans, and skies?” asks Zen Dageraad in his article, Artists Inspired by Nature: Why the Wild Still Captures Our Creative Soul.
Dageraad continues “I think it’s because nature speaks a language we instinctively understand, even if we can’t always articulate it. It’s about beauty, yes, but also about scale, cycles, raw power, and a profound sense of connection to something larger than ourselves. It’s the ultimate muse – always changing, always challenging, and always, always there.”
Nature and art are showcased during the semiannual Northeast Georgia Arts Tour. Six counties and several charming, small towns participate with various artists opening their private studios, skilled artists demonstrating their talents, and galleries showcasing local art.
One of the highlights of my tour was chatting with master craftsman Joel Simon at JC Simon Fine Woodworking. Joel’s woodshop is located in a restored, big, red barn in Clarkesville. He focuses on heirloom-quality, hardwood furniture―designing and building outstanding, custom pieces, as well as, repairing and restoring cherished antiques.
Meeting and chatting with David Oppenheimer at his studio, Wild About Glass, in Cornelia was equally enjoyable. David creates lifelike creations of marine life from stained and fused glass.
I was intrigued to learn how David combines fused and stained glass. For instance, he often uses frit―crushed fusible glass in grain sizes ranging from powder to mosaic―to turn plain glass into one-of-a-kind patterned and textured glass. Then he incorporates the resulting custom glass into his masterful pieces. The subtle, scale design in the green, orange and blue sections of this vibrant tropical fish were made in this way.
Kimberly Adams, at Transformation Glass in Tiger, is also doing amazing things with glass including, for instance, painting with glass. One technique involves building up a design by applying and firing multiple layers of frit on a clear glass base.
She’s also experimenting with “fossil vitra”. Who knew you could actually put springs of rosemary in a 1400⁰ F kiln to create something this amazing?
Here are a few more examples of Kim’s extraordinary work.
And just to underline the point about artists being drawn to natural beauty, check out this gorgeous view at the Transformation Glass studio.
Mark of the Potter is also located in a beautiful natural setting. Surrounded by lush forests, this artist studio/shop in Clarkesville overlooks the Soque River in a “1930’s corn grinding mill” known as Grandpa Watts grist mill.
“At Mark of the Potter you will experience the intersection of art and nature where local artists produce and sell American made functional pottery” states their website. They share this fascinating backstory: “Once upon a time… a lovely couple in Georgia decided to create a pottery store as a retirement project. They found the old Grandpa Watts grist mill had been closed due to flood damage or ‘high waters’. They acquired the property, repaired the buildings, set up their studio, remodeled the upstairs into an apartment, and opened up Mark of the Potter in 1969. Mark of the Potter is the oldest-running pottery gallery in Georgia! And 56 years later… we continue to create family traditions!”
The unusual vessel pictured below with dried hydrangea blooms makes a beautiful display. If you saw last week’s blog post, Hydrangeas for the Win!, you’ll understand why it caught my eye.
Visitors to the grist mill pottery shop are invited to step outside onto a covered porch to enjoy the rushing waters of the Soque River. I don’t know if the water drops far enough to be considered a waterfall―it could, perhaps, be categorized as a “shallow cascades” or “rapids” waterfall (see April Showers Bring May Waterfalls). In any case, back in the mid 1800’s, the water flow was powerful enough to drive three separate mills.
It was on this side porch that I met local artist Mack Anderson painting his version of the beautiful scene.
Directly across the road from the pottery shop is Mark of the Potter’s working studio. That’s where I had the pleasure of chatting with potter Sara Blake while she decorated her newly thrown pots.
Here are a few other sights around Mark of the Potter’s studio.
The Arts Tour brochure lists local art galleries and shops as well as artist studios. These galleries vary significantly―each has its own unique vibe and area of focus. Several of the locations I visited were hosting live art demonstrations for the Arts Tour.
The AppalachianGap Artsy Shop & Studio is an informal, homey, community-based art shop and maker studio in Clarkesville.
Here are some of the handmade items sold in the shop including earrings by Tina Lucas and weaving and felting by Gene Pease.
Gallery 441 in the Heart of Dillard is a large, spacious gallery showcasing the work of 45 artists in all mediums.
Here’s a closer look at some of the outstanding artwork on display including mixed media painting by Winanne Sutherland, jewelry by Mary Beth Stager and relief carving by Dietrich Hoecht.
Artist Silke Cliatt was demonstrating alcohol ink printing on the porch at Gallery 441. Silke is best known for her art quilts but has recently been focused on fabric collage and slow stitching. I really enjoyed learning about her techniques and seeing examples of her work.
Hemlock Studio Gallery is “a collective of local artists and artisans working and showing together on the Clarkesville Square”.
This charming, lively gallery is filled with beautiful artwork including this stained-glass mobile by Sharon Bately, mixed media sculpture by Brenda Hutchings of BWH2 Fiber Arts and greeting cards by Maria Childers.
The Northeast Georgia Arts Tour is a great reminder of, what Dageraad describes as, the “enduring relationship” between nature and art. “In a world that often feels increasingly complex and disconnected” he writes, “I find the call of the wild, the grounding presence of nature, feels more vital than ever for creators and viewers alike.”
More Info
I’ve written about art tours before―see the blog post Peeking Behind the Studio Curtain for a recounting of the Henderson County Open Studio Tour which I had the pleasure to visit in North Carolina a few years ago.
The Northeast Georgia Arts Tour is held in Northeast Georgia twice a year. The dates for 2025 are June 6 to 8 and November 7 to 9. “Discover original works of art made by regional artists in our charming shops, galleries, and studios. Explore painters, potters, jewelry makers, fiber, glass, metal artists and more … Start anywhere you like… Plot your own course.” states their website. You can learn more on the Northeast Georgia Arts Tour website or on Instagram.
Previous blog posts mentioned in this blog post include:
. Hydrangeas for the Win!
. April Showers Bring May Waterfalls.
The following artists and artisans are mentioned in this blog post:
. Wild About Glass/ David Oppenheimer in Cornelia Georgia ― see Wild About Glass website
. J.C. Simon Woodworking/ Joel Simon in Clarkesville Georgia ― see him on Facebook
. Transformation Glass/ Kimberly Adams in Tiger Georgia ― see Transformation Glass website
. Mark of the Potter in Clarkesville Georgia ― see Mark of the Potter website
. Mack Anderson ― see him on Instagram
. AppalachianGap Artsy Shop & Studio in Clarkesville Georgia ― see them on Instagram
. Gallery 441 in the Heart of Dillard in Dillard Georgia ― see them on Instagram
. Silke Cliatt Art Quilts ― see the Silke Cliatt website
. Hemlock Studio Gallery ― see Hemlock Studio Gallery website.
The following books and articles were consulted in the writing of this blog post:
. Artists Inspired by Nature: Why the Wild Still Captures Our Creative Soul online article by Zen Dageraad. The article explores the enduring relationship between nature and art “from its ancient roots to its contemporary expressions, and how it continues to shape the creative soul”. It’s a very interesting read!
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider participating in an art tour to meet artists in their private studios, enjoy live art demonstrations and visit galleries and shops showcasing local art.
2. Art tours offer a great opportunity to support local artists and artisans.
3. “In a world that often feels increasingly complex and disconnected … the grounding presence of nature, feels more vital than ever for creators and viewers alike.” Zen Dageraad
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