First Friday art exhibit openings include pop-up weekend show at Ptarmigan Arts.

This weekend’s art action will be at Homer High School with the opening of the Nutcracker Ballet on Friday in the Mariner Theatre and the Homer Council on the Arts annual Nutcracker Arts and Crafts Faire on Saturday and Sunday. Some local galleries have First Friday openings and receptions.

Bunnell Street Arts Center features the work of artist-naturalist Kim McNett, with her show, “Naturalist’s Notebook.” An adventurer as well, McNett has traveled much of Alaska by human power, particularly fat bike and pack raft. Bunnell’s resident artist this month, she holds open studios and workshops.

At Ptarmigan Arts, the member-run Back Room Gallery this year started a new approach to traditional, month-long shows with First Friday receptions. Instead, they hold “pop up” shows on any weekend of the month. This weekend’s show is by ceramic artist Jeff Szarzi.

“We realized that format wasn’t really working for many of our potential guest artists or for our members,” Allison Galbraith, president of the Ptarmigan Arts Board of Directors, said in a press release. “We decided a better way for us to showcase the enormous amount of local artistic talent we have here in Homer and all over Alaska was to offer weekend shows.”

In the Back Room Gallery, artists pay a flat fee for their space and handle their own sales without paying commissions. They are on site for the weekend, giving them a chance to meet visitors, Galbraith said. Artists interested in a Back Room Gallery show can apply now for the 2022 season. For more information on applying for a weekend show, please visit the Ptarmigan Arts website at ptarmiganarts.com/pop-up-shows or email ptarmiganshows@gmail.com.

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Naturalist’s Notebook by Kim McNett

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

Artist, naturalist and adventurer Kim McNett shares journal pages and original works that describe her travels across various regions of Alaskan wilderness. During December, McNett will practice her art of interpretive drawing and journaling in an open studio at Bunnell. Her residency work will focus on the ecology of the Beluga Wetlands as they relate to the carbon cycle and climate stability. This conceptual exploration will be developed into a mural for the Homer Airport.

Of her work, McNett writes, “Nature drawing and journaling focuses on the infinite complexities that can always be found in nature. I use my journal to promote curiosity and wonder in an interdisciplinary approach to natural history and exploration. From right outside my cabin window to the remote corners of the Alaskan wilderness, these pages convey the sense of space, time and feeling that I experience in the moment of observation.”

She holds an open studio from noon – 5 p.m. on Dec 7, 8, 14 and 15.

McNett also holds a Journal Drawing Workshop from 6 – 8 p.m. Dec. 6, 9 and 13. The workshop fee is pay-as-you-can on a sliding scale from $25 to $100, with in-person and Zoom options. Join her in fostering a personal connection to time and place through journaling. She shares strategies and techniques for designing nature journal pages inspired by the Homer area in winter.

Homer Council on the Arts

355 W. Pioneer Ave.

5×7 Show

There is no First Friday reception for the 5×7 show as the Homer Council on the Arts sets up for the Nutcracker Faire. The 5×7 show continues through Dec. 22.

Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

Pop-up show by Jeff Sarzi

4-7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

This weekend’s pop-up show features Ptarmigan Arts ceramic artist Jeff Szarzi.

“In my past life, I was a field biologist, carpenter, and science teacher. I started my adventure in clay 13 years ago as a curiosity,” Szarzi writes of his work. ‘My surface designs reflect my love for the outdoors; themes include imagery of animals, plants, and the landscapes that catch my eye. All my images are hand drawn and carved, then combined with glazes that are designed to complement the subject.”

In his show, he will be showcasing new sgraffito floral and berry design mugs and platters bordered with a micro crystal matte glaze. He will also have some new crystalline glaze mugs and growlers.

Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.