First Friday & Saturday Events

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Encaustic paintings by Antoinette Walker
Pottery by Lisa Wood Beck

5-7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception;
6 p.m., artists talk

Artist Antoinette Walker works in the ancient media of encaustics, or painting with bees wax, damar crystals and pigments. “I express my creativity through coastal marine themes that capture the wild beauty around my home in Kodiak and my fishing grounds in Bristol Bay. As I cross the ocean to my fishing grounds, I anticipate images of time-worn canneries, set net sites and fishermen working their gear,” Walker writes in her artist statement. “Although the trappings of fishing change over time, the search is archetypal. Like encaustics, fishing is an enduring tradition full of ritual and process, currents that pull you away from the modern world, its pace and changes, and into the reflective waters of our human history.”

Homer ceramic artist Lisa Wood Beck creates functional stoneware forms that radiate earthy elegance. Ideas for glazes and designs come from her Homer lifestyle, with wood fired pots reminiscent of fish, boats and woodwork, and with bold brushstrokes and mossy and oceanic glazes. She has studied pottery with internationally-recognized artists Jeff Oestrich, Malcom Davis, Mary Barringer, Linda Christiansen and Ron Meyer.

Homer Council on the Arts

344 W. Pioneer Ave.

Ocean’s Lament,
marine debris art by various artists

5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

Sponsored by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Ocean’s Lament invited artists from Alaska and the Lower 49 states to create works using marine debris. Since 1984, CACS has sponsored the annual CoastWalk beach cleanup, and for the past 10 years has incorporated public art in CoastWalk. The marine debris art program encourages the community to think creatively about the impact of marine debris on coastal areas. The show’s intent is to raise awareness of marine debris at a local and global level.

As part of the two-month show, CACS also holds marine debris art workshops from 1-3 p.m. July 10 and 6-8 p.m. Aug. 7 at HCOA. The show closes with a silent auction 5-7 p.m. Aug. 29.

Ptarmigan Arts
Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

White on White: Arctic Wildlife, paintings by Ed Hutchinson

5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

Anchorage and soon-to-be Homer artist Ed Hutchinson first came to Alaska at age 10 in 1950. He studied aesthetics and art history at Boston University and sociology of religion with an emphasis on the history of religious art at the Theological Union/Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. Widely known in Alaska as a painter of contemporary abstract art, he is best known for his white on white paintings of arctic wildlife. Anchorage harpist Skookums provides musical entertainment.

Art Shop Gallery

202 W. Pioneer Avenue

Northern Adornment,
jewelry by Dawn and Doug Horner

1-6 p.m., First Saturday Reception

Dawn and Doug Horner create jewelry using an Old World style wire weaving process called Viking Knit. They add stones, fossils and historical symbols in their designs.

Fireweed Gallery

475 E. Pioneer Ave.

Canary in a Coal Mine,
sculptures by Deb Lowney

5-7 p.m., First Saturday Reception

Homer artist Deb Lowney presents an exhibit of her wooden sculptures exploring the issue of climate change. Through 28 pieces, “Canary in a Coal Mine” ponders the question of causes and choices to be made by all in the future ahead.

Picture Alaska

448 E. Pioneer Ave.

Special summer sale

5-7:30 p.m., First Saturday Reception

Picture Alaska holds a First Saturday reception with a 20 percent off sale.