Spring on display at May’s First Friday events

Spring is here and Homer’s artists and art galleries are celebrating with exhibits filled with splashes of color. Wander through the galleries to see work by established and emerging artists, meet the artists, and enjoy refreshments.

Art Shop Gallery

202 W. Pioneer Ave.

New work by Tracy and Emma Early

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

Art Shop Gallery hosts paintings by Tracy Early and jewelry by Early and her daughter, Emma. In the art industry in one form or another since graduating college, Tracy has a love for abstract painting and fascination with the beauty of underwater scenery that are evident in this collection of acrylic paintings, “Mystic Waters.” Along with her daughter Emma, a high school student, the two make jewelry using polymer clay and resin to create handmade wearable art. Another daughter, Allison, is an avid baker and will be catering First Friday.

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

“Changing Landscapes” with Deb Lowney, Sharlene Cline, and Kristin Link

First Friday Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m. Artist talks, 6 p.m.

Bunnell Street Arts Center presents “Changing Landscapes,” a group invitational exhibit featuring new work by Deb Lowney, Sharlene Cline and Kristin Link.

As human activities increase the rate at which natural processes like glacial retreat, weathering and erosion shape the landscape, what agency do artists offer as witnesses, interpreters and documentarians of disappearing landscapes? How do artists steward how we hold and express feelings about change? In this exhibit, these Homer artists address these questions. Cline begins with the landscapes’ shapes and moves to a place of instinct, grabbing colors, layering brush strokes, creating texture, and adding mounting elements to intensify the work so the viewer can experience Alaska and her scars. Link’s work bears witness to disappearing and dramatically changing landscapes and illuminates the beauty in change, and expresses a faith that whatever is left behind when the ice melts will be worthy of our attention. Lowney’s artistic exploration delves into the impact of climate change on our environment and our lives, capturing landscapes in wooden sculpture, and memorialize them.

Creative Fires Studio and Dean Gallery

40374 Waterman Road

New and current work

Open 5-7:30 p.m. First Friday

The Dean Gallery presents Jeff’s recently completed version #4/6 of “At the Breathing Hole,” layered metal and wood wall art. Versions 1 through 3 are in Texas, Florida, and Homer, respectively. Also on display are several other new works, along with M’fanwy’s intricately carved wood panels and Ranja’s bronzes and giclee prints.

Fireweed Gallery

475 E. Pioneer Ave.

Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society Annual Spring Show

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

Fireweed Gallery hosts the 27th Annual Spring Show of new work by members of the Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society. Stop by and met the artists and enjoy their creativity inspired during the past winter months.

Grace Ridge Brewing

870 Smoky Bay Way

Metal work by Ellie DelliGatti

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

Grace Ridge Brewing presents new work by Ellie DelliGatti of Kraken Metals. A mother of four, DelliGatti is a CNC plasma cutter and metal artist who has been creating and finishing rustic metal art since 2017 and recently took a course to learn to weld. Her pieces are versatile and can be displayed indoor or outdoor, depending on finish.

Homer Council on the Arts Planning Clinic

355 W. Pioneer Ave.

Point of View, paintings by Susan Watkins

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

Homer Council on the Arts presents “Point of View,” paintings by Susan Watkins. As an observer and participant, Watkins puts herself in what she considers to be incredible places, and through her work, strives to put the observer there with her. Painting since a young age, she has been studying painting by experiencing plein air and studio workshops from the Grand Canyon to Paris and has attended artist-in-residences in several countries. The majority of her livelihood as an artist has come from painting large scale projects for healthcare facilities, outdoor retailers and wildlife museum dioramas, enhancing walls in public and private residences, large and small, and murals in hospitals and long-term care centers, mental health institutions and homes for autistic children.

Pratt Museum & Park

3779 Bartlett St.

Shorebird Festival Kick Off

First Friday Reception, 4-6 p.m.

Pratt Museum & Park hosts their annual kickoff to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. Visitors can explore the cultures, science, art, and natural history of the Kachemak Bay region, tour the museum galleries, plus a special exhibit of academic and citizen science posters highlighting local seabirds, curated by Marilyn Sigman. Check out the museum’s Gull Island bird camera, the only live bird cam from the Kachemak Bay seabird rookery for gulls and puffins. Enjoy refreshments on the porch and walk the forested trails of their 10-acre park.

Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

New Work by Susan Stewart

First Friday hours, 5-7 p.m.

Ptarmigan Arts invites the public to view the work of their newest member, Susan Stewart. A basket weaver currently teaching classes at the KPC Homer Campus as well as privately, Watkins has been weaving for nearly 30 years. Most of her baskets are made of naturally harvested reed from the jungles of Asia and Indonesia, but she enjoys collecting and weaving local grasses as well.