Homer Alaska - Arts

207 W. Pioneer Ave.

New work by Guitta Corey 5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 4-6 p.m., Saturday appearance

Guitta Corey works in collages in many media, including paper and glass.

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Untitled, paintings by Steve Gordon 5-7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception; 6 p.m., artists talk

Concert by Liz Malys and Amy Lou 8 p.m.; admission is $5-$20, pay as you can.

Anchorage artist Steve Gordon says of his show, "I enjoy the beauty of nature when painting landscapes. I try to capture the 'heart' of the landscape — the energy, movement, light, and space — more than a mere retinal impression of a place. " Many of this show's paintings come from time visiting with friends in Halibut Cove.

Following the reception, singer-songwriter and pianist Liz Malys and singer-songwriter Amy Lou perform a gallery concert.

Fireweed Gallery

475 E. Pioneer Ave.

New Work, ceramics by Michael Anderson Shismaref: Through Our Eyes, photographs by Shismaref summer school students and teachers, Ken Stenek, Rebecca Clement and Hal Gage 5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

Michael Anderson, a ceramics artist from Cordova, has become known for octopus jars, salmon plates and gillnet bowls. Functional and fun, his pottery portrays the marine life seen near his Cordova studio. "Shismaref Through Our Eyes" is a photographic tour of the Eskimo village of Shismaref, located on a tiny island in the Chukchi Sea, done by Shismaref students and teachers Ken Stenek, Rebecca Clement and Hal Gage.

Homer Council on the Arts

344 W. Pioneer Ave.

Viewer Participation Requested by Marali Sargeant-Smith 5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

A lifelong Alaska artist from Homer, Marali Sargeant-Smith paints with oils, acrylics and watercolor and works in stained and fused glass, fiber and clay. She explores genres from realistic to abstract. Of her exhibit, she writes, "Color, line and shape present as emotional reality in this show. Two dimensional semi-abstract mixed media works depict events and experiences from the artist's life. The artist invites viewers to participate in the show by using the paintings as a springboard, a stimulus for their own creative expression." Sargeant-Smith also teaches a youth workshop from 1-3 p.m. July 8 and an adult workshop 6-8 p.m. Aug. 12. Her stained glass and representational paintings also can be seen at the Ptarmigan Arts Gallery.

Picture Alaska

448 E. Pioneer Ave.

Valley Girls Making Paint Fly, paintings by Karen Whitworth, Talya Johnson and Nancy Crawford 5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

Wasilla artists Karen Whitworth, Talya Johnson and Nancy Crawford present new work. Whitworth writes that her favorite pastime is "chasing the light," spending early mornings and evenings painting en plein aire, seeking to paint delicate effects in light that cannot be captured in photographs. Formerly of Florida, Nancy Crawford has lived in Alaska for almost 30 years. Enamored by light and color, Alaska's beautiful scenery and her past by the sea are the inspiration for most of her work, she says. Johnson grew up in the Golan Heights of Israel and came to Alaska as a girl. "Through the paint I speak to the viewer's senses — share a thought, a memory, and insight," she writes. "I express colors, movement, scents and symbols that are just beneath the surface of the ordinary."

Pratt Museum

3779 Bartlett Street

Boreal Birch: Art and Science in the Northern Forest, art by Margo Klass, Barry McWayne, and Kesler Woodward 7 p.m. Thursday, presentation by artists Margo Klass and Kesler Woodward and scientist Kimberley Maher 5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

Margo Klass, Barry McWayne and Kesler Woodward worked together with University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist Kimberley Maher to produce this exhibition exploring Alaska's birch trees from a variety of perspectives. In their paintings, photographs and mixed-media sculpture, the three artists have done a scientific partnership with Maher to explore the signature feature of the boreal forest as image, symbol and natural element.

Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

Relationships, paintings by Karin Lowney-Seed and sculpture by Deb Lowney 5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

Homer artist Deb Lowney works primarily in wood, much of it found or salvaged wood. The collaborative show features her work with the paintings of Lowney's sister, Karin Lowney-Seed.