Montana author to talk on wolf research

Author and wolf researcher Diane Boyd will give a talk on her new memoir, “A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery,” on June 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Wynn Nature Center  on East Skyline Drive. In her presentation, “Wolves: Realities, Myths & Madness,” she will share her life’s work as one of the first female wolf researchers in Montana and discuss the challenges of tracking wolves, the science of wolf ecology and the complex human-wolf coexistence.

HCOA holds Live Art Tent at Harborfest

Join HCOA on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 at the end of the Homer Spit at its Live Art Tent at Homer Harborfest.

Come listen to live music and watch the following local artists showcase their skills as they create gorgeous art right in front of you. Ten artists will rotate through the tent in shifts of two to three to create a work of art over 2.5 hours. Their creations will then be auctioned off on Saturday evening at 6:45 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will support the artists and HCOA’s dedication to making the arts accessible to all members of our community.

Can’t stay for the live auction? Check out the silent auction or stop by the HCOA sales tent where the featured artists will be selling prints and small works.

Tickets to the HarborFest Event can be purchased from the Homer HarborFest Website and at the gate.

Friday, June 5, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

David Pettibone

David Pettibone is a Homer based painter.

“… I like to spend my time, in an ever evolving conversation with subject and painting, contemplating something as elemental as the drag of a loaded brush against the weave of a canvas.” – excerpt from David Pettibone’s statement on selected paintings

Amy Komar

Amy Komar is an Alaska-based contemporary artist known for her vibrant abstract paintings, meditative dotwork and intricate geometric patterns applied to a variety of surfaces like claybord panels, stone and metal. Her work is influenced by motherhood, memory and spirituality, often transforming everyday objects into reflective pieces that explore connection, healing and personal history. Alongside her visual art, Komar created “Switch Witch,” a sensory wellness and body-care line that blends aromatherapy, botanicals and artistic ritual into handmade products crafted in Homer, Alaska.

Friday, June 5, 4:30-7 p.m.  

Jenna Gerrety

Jenna Gerrety is a local fiber artist and painter. Having graduated from University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2017, she currently works for Homer Council on the Arts and is creating any chance she gets. She delights in whimsy and contradictions, hoping her work will inspire others to find a little fantasy in their day to day lives.

Lisa Talbott

It started with an unexpected gift …

I’ve always loved to crochet, cross stitch, knit, quilt, basically anything to do with fiber or yarn. Then one year for Christmas, my husband surprised me with a rigid heddle loom. I had never tried weaving before, and I fell in love at warp speed! That one loom was later joined by a tapestry loom, then a four-shaft floor loom, then a smaller rigid heddle loom, then another four shaft floor loom, and well, now our living room is my weaving studio.

Fiber arts strike a deep and ancient chord within me. Whether I am spinning or weaving or knitting, my hands know more than my brain does. These are the skills of my ancestors, the survival crafts that kept them warm and dry through long, dark winters. These arts and crafts resonate with my soul. I know I am continuing the crafts of my ancestors, and that is deeply fulfilling.

Fiber arts are also my primary spiritual practice. They are deeply grounding and meditative, and when I create, I feel my heart and soul calm and settle within me as I intentionally infuse prayers, blessings, and good wishes into my art.

Robert Ostman

Robert Ostman lives in Homer, has thoroughly enjoyed working with clay for over 25 years, and continues to learn, teach and pass on the passion of ceramics.

Saturday, June 6, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Cindy Nelson

Cindy Nelson is an oil painter and mosaic artist who has been creating for 20 years. She lives and works in Homer. Find her work at Ptarmigan Arts.

Ella Blanton-Yourkowski

Ella was born and raised in Homer. She’s a ceramic artist that introduces sculptural elements to functional pieces in the hopes to add joy and curiosity to everyday life.

Saturday, June 6, 4-6:30 p.m.  

Bonita Banks

A weaver for many decades, I continue to explore what it means to create and the ways weaving challenges me to see beyond the intertwining of warp and weft. Weaving speaks to me of beauty, function, and connection to ancestors, culture, and community.

Chelsea Carpenter

Hello! My name is Chelsea. I was born and raised in Southern California. I graduated from Pierce Community College and received an Associate of Arts degree in American Sign Language. I was a community interpreter in the LA area, eventually finding my calling, which is interpreting for the deaf and hard of hearing in the public school system. I found it really fulfilling but I was seeking a little adventure. I accepted an interpreting job in Nanwalek, AK. It was a great experience filled with lovely memories. An interpreting job opened up at West Homer Elementary. I took it right away. I’ve always connected with Homer. It is the happiest place for me. After a few years back in California, I returned to Homer as a stay-at-home mom of two young children. Fiber arts allow me to satisfy my creative needs and escape the madness of motherhood. This makes me a happy, balanced and inspired momma. Hopefully my macramé-macraweave creations bring others as much happiness as they bring to me while I’m making them. Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my handmade items!

xochiyollotl

xochiyollotl is a ceramics and mixed media artist living and working in Homer. They enjoy creating objects that make people smile, using bright colors and Alaskan flora as subjects. They also teach beginning handbuilding workshops and classes through HCOA. 

Learn more about HCOA’s HarborFest Live Art at homerart.org/event/live-art-and-auction-at-harborfest/.