Comics, pastels and self-reflections on display in March First Friday shows

The daylight hours are getting longer and splashes of color will soon be upon us. In the meantime, stop by Homer’s art galleries and take in First Friday Opening Receptions and see new work by local artists, including paintings, mixed media, comics, pastels, and more.

Art Shop Gallery

202 W. Pioneer Ave.

Browse Alaskan art

Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While not hosting a First Friday reception, Art Shop Gallery invites community members to stop by and browse their selections of unique and original artwork by Homer artists that reflect the wonders of living in Alaska. Work includes acrylic paintings by Tracy Early, black and white photography by Taz Tally, painted tables by Dan Coe, handcrafted jewelry by Carol Beverly and Bering Sea Designs, fused glass and hand painted silk scarves by Nancy Wise, and wooden bowls, vases, and tables by Gerard Garland.

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Mixed media painted comic pages

5 p.m. to 7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception, Artist talk, 6 p.m.

Bunnell Street Arts Center hosts David Brame, Afrofuturist artist and scholar exhibiting mixed media painted comic pages around the themes of queerness, depression, sobriety and addiction.

This is the last installment of the Dusty Funk installation series, exploring performative experience and mixed media to question the status quo, identity, gender and race, and produce beautiful and grotesque imagery in an Afro-surreal environment. “I am looking for new ways to tell stories and engage with audiences with my work. Fresh inspiration abounds. The Quixotic Queericule Quazar uses comics, poetry, prose, and large mixed media paintings to tell a short story discussing identity, addiction, and the feelings associated with giving your dreams to the void.”

Bunnell Street Arts Center welcomes Łuk’ae Tse’ Taas (Fish Head Soup) Comics & Shared Universe, a group of Alaskan comic book creators, March 3 to 6.

“Łuk’ae Tse’ Taas (an Ahtna phrase for fish head soup) represents our deep knowledge of Alaska as well as our humble collaborative goals as a collective. Our mission is to create, promote and distribute exciting comic book stories/New media/fashion exemplifying the rich regional cultures of Alaska in ways that both honor the heritage and forge new concepts to bridge the past with the future.”

Łuk’ae Tse’ Taas artists are Nathan Shafer, Richard Perry, Melissa Shaginoff, Dimi Macheras, Casey Silver and David Brame. The group will gather for the first time post-pandemic to develop new work, share current projects, and consider how they can support other creators to tell new stories that construct stories for an Alaskan audience with inclusion, experimentation, and collaboration. Łuk’ae Tse’ Taas creators offer an artist panel and book signing on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at Bunnell. Artists will discuss their collaborative universe, how they write stories and use a cultural advisory process, and upcoming projects. Melissa Shaginoff and Dimi Macheras (Chickaloon Tribe) share about their recent trip to the Smithsonian. Nathan Shafer shares copies of his newly released books Wintermoot Volume 6 and Goodnight Naruto Runners.

Creative Fires Studio and Dean Gallery

40374 Waterman Road

New and current work

Open 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. First Friday

Stop by Creative Fires Studio and Dean Gallery and view the selection of fine artwork.

Fireweed Gallery

475 E. Pioneer Ave.

“Capturing Wildlife Pastels II”

First Friday Opening Reception, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fireweed Gallery presents “Capturing Wildlife Pastels II,” new work in richly rendered pastel drawings by Homer’s “Midge” Turea M. Grice. Grice’s art showcases Alaska’s wildlife through vibrant pastel portraits of the diversity of animal life around us. A self-taught artist raised in northwest Montana and a Homer resident since 1995, early on, after receiving a small set of pastels from her grandfather, Grice decided to try her hand at this medium and discovered her talent.

Grace Ridge Brewing

870 Smoky Bay Way off Lake Street

Mixed media

5 p.m. to 7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception

Grace Ridge Brewing hosts Obadiah Jenkins’ new work. Blessed with the opportunity to experiment with different artistic mediums and styles throughout his life as represented in this exhibit, Jenkins was raised in the hills of North Georgia by creative parents, with the arts all around him since he was a child. His love of the elements and adventures in nature are the greatest influence represented in these pieces. “I believe in surrounding yourself with that which you love and in that philosophy I have tried to capture places and moments in ways that bring them into the heart and home. From pint size mountain ranges to giant trees brought to bonsai size, art is in the eye of the beholder and holds the power of being whatever you see in it.”

Homer Council on the Arts in collaboration with Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic

355 W. Pioneer Ave.

“Radical Autonomy”

First Friday Opening Reception, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Artist’s talk, 5:30 p.m.

Homer Council on the Arts in collaboration with Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic presents “Radical Autonomy,” a group show exploring the prompts “What is bodily autonomy?”; “Who gets to have it, and why?”; “How do you define and protect your boundaries?”; “Are there parts of you — physical, emotional, spiritual — that no one has access to?”; “If it’s your choice, what do you choose?”; “What would it feel like to be completely, radically free?”

Visitors can participate in the exhibit throughout the month by writing a response to the prompts on a wall.

Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

First Friday hours, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Stop by Ptarmigan Arts and browse new work on display. Gallery hours are seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.