It was a full house at Grace Ridge Brewing on Saturday, April 13 — but patrons didn’t arrive just for the popular craft beers. Ready, Set, Art! returned for its second year to provide an exciting evening of live art creation and raise funds for the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Art Scholarship Fund, the only visual arts scholarship awarded annually to a Southern Kenai Peninsula high school student.

The event showcased 15 artists from Homer, Anchor Point, Seldovia and Anchorage who, working in a variety of mediums, set up shop inside the brewery or on their outdoor patio and created a piece of art in just one hour.

A silent auction was conducted during the one-hour period in which the artists worked, followed by a live auction of each piece in which the highest silent bid was the starting live bid for each work. Additionally, Grace Ridge Brewing set up a “featured” wall and table outside that displayed additional donated art, available for silent bid over the course of the evening. All funds raised from the auction went to the Ptarmigan Arts Scholarship Fund.

As of press time on Tuesday, at least $4,500 had been raised for the scholarship fund, according to Homer Foundation office and program manager Lauren Seaton. The Ptarmigan Arts Visual Scholarship Fund is administered by the Homer Foundation.

Grace Ridge Brewing co-owner Sherry Stead said of this year’s Ready, Set, Art!, “We’re very honored to put it on. There are so many artists in Homer, this is a great way to showcase them.”

Seldovia artist Valisa Higman created a cut paper scene of an otter floating on its back in the bay, with Poot Peak in the background. She said she wanted to create a “Homer view” rather than a Seldovia view, and elected to include Poot Peak because it’s her favorite mountain, though it’s not visible from Seldovia.

Homer artist Willow Jones crafted three Appalachian brooms from Mexican broomcorn, which she said is a common material for brooms because it stays flexible when dry.

Homer artist Jen DePesa, who painted a field of fireweed on a hilly background, said of her evening’s work, “Alaskans love fireweed, so I chose (to paint) this in hopes to raise as much money for the scholarship as I could.”

Homer jeweler and silversmith Tami Johnson crafted a sea glass and copper suncatcher, while local bead artist Allison Galbraith created a pair of earrings.

Homer fiber artist and Alaskan Yarn Company co-founder Jules Joy sat toward the back of the brewery at her spinning wheel, spinning a skein of hand-dyed yarn made from 100% Wensleydale sheep’s wool.

Gary Lyon, one of the founding members of the Ptarmigan Arts co-op, painted a pair of sandhill cranes in acrylic. Homer artist Leo Vait sketched a pencil drawing of his brother, James. Watercolor artist Jan Peyton created a scene of Grewingk Glacier, with a field of fireweed in the foreground. Cindy Nelson used a palette knife for her oil painting of a collection of sunflowers, a scene which she said was inspired by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Anchor Point artist Dan Coe painted a spring stream flowing under a grove of trees in acrylics. Homer ceramicist Krista Etzwiler assembled vertical wall hangings from her clay pinch pots, like those seen in her ongoing Akurah Project, and pieces of driftwood which she collected, prepared and sprayed with shellac to “bring out the wood grain.”

Local wood sculptor Deb Lowney carved an abstract wall hanging, into which she carved designs and added embellishments before finishing the piece.

Anchorage artist David Pettibone, who was listed in the event announcement to be painting portraits, painted the “portraits” of two pink salmon he said were given to him by Lyon for the evening.

Ceramicist Maygen Lotscher, owner of the MJ Earthworks studio in Homer, was a “surprise” artist at this year’s fundraiser and sculpted a functional platter.

“This is my first time at this event,” she said. “I’m happy to be here — I was the ceramics and art teacher at Homer High School for nine years, so I’m happy to contribute to the scholarship.”

Ready, Set, Art! is the primary fundraiser for the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, according to Stead. Previously a monthlong silent auction for work donated by artists at the Ptarmigan Arts Gallery, Lyon made the change to the live event last year, which was inspired by his involvement in previous “quick-draw” benefits, Homer News previously reported.

For more information on the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, visit www.homerfoundation.org/scholarship-applications/.

Gary Lyon, one of the original founders of the Ptarmigan Arts co-op, paints a pair of sandhill cranses in acrylics at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Allison Galbraith beads a set of silver hoop earrings at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Homer artist Willow Jones crafts a turkey wing-style Appalachian broom at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Seldovia artist Valisa Higman crafts one of her famous cut-paper artworks at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Homer fiber artist Jules Joy spins hand-dyed yarn made from 100% sheeps wool at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Anchor Point artist Dan Coe (left) paints a spring stream amidst the crowd milling around Grace Ridge Brewery at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Anchorage artist David Pettibone paints two pink salmon at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Ceramicist Krista Etzwiler chats with fundraiser attendees as she assembles a wall hanging from clay pinch pots and reclaime driftwood at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Homer jeweler and silversmith Tami Johnson uses copper and sea glass to craft a suncatcher at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Homer artist Leo Vait sketches a portrait of his brother, James Vait, at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Wood sculptor Deb Lowney uses a propane torch to burn what would become an abstract wall hanging at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Homer artist Cindy Nelson works on an oil painting of sunflowers at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Jen DePesa paints a field of fireweed at the Ready, Set, Art! fundraiser, benefiting the Ptarmigan Arts Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Grace Ridge Brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)