Art Shop Gallery
202 W. Pioneer Avenue
Black and white, photography by Taz Tally
and glass work by Nancy Wise
5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception
Taz Tally shows a new black-and-white photograph, “Sadie’s Cloud.” Nancy Wise shows glass work honoring early Alaska Native interpretations of nature she calls “Roots.”
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
Spaces Within, mask carvings and installation art by Drew Michael
5-7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception; 6 p.m., artists talk
Anchorage artist Drew Michael, a Yu’pik and Inupiaq mask carver and installation artist, explores his identity as a twin survivor of premature birth, foster care and adoption to an Alaska family. Using mixed media, fine craftsmanship and an individual style, he says his works express an emotional, ironic and adventurous spirit. “Look deep within the spaces of man, woman and animal,” he writes. “What you find may surprise you.” Not yet 30, his work has already been included in the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska State Museum.
Fireweed Gallery
475 E. Pioneer Ave.
Beyond the Roads: A Personal View of Alaska, paintings by John (J. R.) Lince-Hopkins
5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception
Strong, high-latitude light on landscape and in the sky is the inspiration for Lince-Hopkins’ paintings. High-latitude light is low-level and raking light, producing strong shadows and brightly lit areas for extended periods of time, most notably lingering sunsets and sunrises of amazing color and depth that light up the sky, clouds and mountain tops. Through his work as a biologist, Bush teacher and environmental field officer for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Lince-Hopkins has had the opportunity to study and appreciate the effects of high-latitude light on the landscape and skies of many parts of Bush Alaska. Responding to this constant source of inspiration, Lince-Hopkins has produced richly textured oil paintings of Alaska themes. He says his images open a window to experiences beyond the roads and the well-known, some never before painted by Euro-American artists.
Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
Meditation Forest, paintings by Sue Dranchak
5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception
Sue Dranchak’s art career began during her college years at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she graduated in 2001 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting. During college she lived in a rustic, one-room cabin just west of town in an area known as Gold Hill. It was there that she learned the value of simplicity and developed a strong relationship with her surroundings and nature. The ‘Meditation Forest’ series of paintings celebrates and reflects on the time she has spent walking and sking in the boreal forest environment of her Alaska home. Dranchak currently resides part-time in Alaska and part-time in Arizona.
“Travelling between such extreme and diverse geographical regions has kept me from getting into a rut, pushed me beyond my own boundaries and helped me to grow as an artist and an individual,” she writes.
Picture Alaska
448 E. Pioneer Ave.
Closing business sale
5-7:30 p.m., First Saturday Reception
After 24 years, Picture Alaska and the Upstairs Boutique will be going out of business. A going-out-of-business sale starts today and runs until the stores are liquidated. For First Friday there will be a reception.
Artist Sue Dranchak’s “From Night to Day,” one of her pieces from her show, “Meditation Forest,” opening Friday at Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery.-Photo provided
