Artwork brings Homer’s summer to life for First Friday
Published 2:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
A summer stroll through Homer’s downtown is a perfect way to spend a Friday night. And a collection of Homer art galleries and public art spaces will make sure there’s plenty to pique your interest during First Friday.
Homer Council on the Arts
355 W. Pioneer Ave.
Kathy Morton — A Life Retrospective
Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m., presentation at 5:30 p.m.
This retrospective is a sampling of the works of longtime resident Kathy Morton (1954-2025). This exhibit conveys not only the evolution of time, but also a journey from life in New England to the wilderness of western Alaska and, finally, to the beautiful coastal town of Homer.
Morton’s multimedia art includes drawing, etching, sculpture, and three-dimensional work that incorporates natural elements from the Alaskan environment and elsewhere. Her respect for the environment is evident in her art, where she not only used ordinary objects in symbolic and imaginative ways but also was an early adopter of “upcycling” for functional art.
During her life, Morton resisted the notion that art belonged only on walls. She instinctively found art in every situation and believed this was possible if one slowed down enough to recognize it. She valued creating ordinary objects into symbolic, beautiful, and often functional pieces. Kathy transformed items formerly bound for the waste heap, demonstrating that even these objects can have beauty and purpose when seen through an artist’s eye.
Grace Ridge Brewing
870 Smoky Bay Way
Nicholas Bradvica-Whistler
Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m.
Nicholas Bradvica-Whistler is an author, poet, and artist who descends from a long line of artists on his mother’s side to the famous American painter James Abbot McNeil Whistler. Nick’s mother, Vivian, and grandmother, Annette, were talented watercolor artists, who encouraged his creative passions from a young age. He credits his fascination with surrealist landscapes to a mixture of Bob Ross, Salvador Dali, medieval high fantasy, and the film Fantasia.
Due to his lack of technical skill, he reasons that nature’s majesty and scope cannot receive justice from any artistic medium. Only physical experience reveals the full splendor of reality. Capturing that experience in art necessitates a deviation from realism. In other words, he attempts to paint how a place makes him feel rather than exactly what he sees. At the end of August, each painting will be awarded to the highest bidder. All profits go to Homer Animal Shelter.
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
Landscape artist Steve Gordon
Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m., artist talk 6 p.m.
Steve Gordon is an Anchorage artist painting the landscape of south central Alaska for the past 40years in a painterly realist style.
“When I’m mindfully moving through nature my senses are alive to color, pattern, shapes, movement, flow, and contrasts. Being in nature while fully present to the experience is a spiritual and life giving experience for me. I feel more deeply connected to myself and to God…” said Gordon. “My style of painting could be described as a painterly realism. I try to reproduce the particularity of light, color and shapes but I want the energy and movement of the brushwork to still be there. That’s what gives life to a landscape in my opinion. It is my hope that my paintings would help the view to re-experience the life-giving energy of God’s creation.”
The Dean Gallery
40374 Waterman Rd.
A wide variety of works by Ranja, Jeff, and M’fanwy Dean
Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m.
The Dean Gallery is a family-owned gallery at Dean Homestead and Art Studios featuring a diverse collection of contemporary art, from large focal-point wood and metal wall art to bronze sculptures, intricately carved wood panels, and specialty prints on wood, metal, and paper.
Art Shop Gallery
202 W. Pioneer Ave.
Small Treasures from The Story Family
Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m.
Chris Story (raku pottery), Garrett Story (Photography), and Ashley Story (original acrylic paintings) showcase big and beautiful on a small scale. Pottery sculptures that fit in your hands, 6×6 original paintings, and small wild Alaska photographs on metal and lexan. The works will be on display for the month of August. Hours are Monday through Friday 11-6, Saturday 11-5, and Sundays 12-4.
Ptarmigan Arts
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
Ptarmigan Arts invites everyone to come see its incredible collection of local artwork, with new pieces added daily. Open seven days a week 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours until 7 p.m. for First Friday.
South Peninsula Hospital Gallery Hall
4300 Bartlett St.
Summertide — Artwork by Kathleen McCarthy
No opening reception.
“My work is the exploration of light and shadow and their transient nature in the world. I try to capture that feeling when you see the sun filtering through the trees, momentarily changing the color we see all around us. Looking for hidden overlooked hues in the shadows. The unexpected pop of bright red, the deep purples, the golden glow on the horizon. That’s how I’d like my art to feel – transient, vibrant, and a little overwhelming,” said McCarthy.
“Using acrylics, and watercolor with pastel, my goal is to bring the peace of the outdoors and all its beauty inside, to splash the walls with color and fill them up. To showcase the little fleeting moments of the world around us as a reminder to take time to pause and enjoy it.”
