Into the labyrinth, back to the frosty beach
• First Friday offerings range from avant garde to wind-swept beach
By Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune
“Slovak Girl” was painted by James P. Buncak while he was in Europe.
Weathering Alaska’s chill is something Buncak expects of himself.
“I try not to invent things.” he said. “As a painter, you can’t just stay in a studio because then, you might start inventing and get off track with what’s in front of you.”
Buncak formerly had a studio in the former mill and feed store across from Latitude 59, where he taught life-drawing classes. Now, his studio is at his home on West Hill overlooking Kachemak Bay. Trained in the American Academy of Art in Chicago 25 years ago, Buncak follows the style of classical realism. He admires the works of Alaska masters Syndey Laurence, Eustace Ziegler and, the American, Nicolai Fechin, among others.
“I also really like the illustrators of the ‘40s and ‘50s. I read art history books like some people read novels,” Buncak said. “I am an artist first, and I’ve always been a carpenter to make ends meet.”
Buncak moved to Homer in 1984 and has become known in the area for his art, as well as for his music and carpentry skills. (He plays drums with the “Elders on Fire,” and “Mild Groove.”) Buncak taught workshops in life-drawing and landscape-painting to improve his own skills, as well as pass on the techniques and ideas learned from his teacher and the great painters of the past. At the American Academy, Buncak was taught by Ugene Hall, who was a student of Samuel Mirsky. In turn, Mirsky was taught by Fechin. It’s a line-up Buncak considers his “artistic lineage.”
Picture Alaska Art Gallery will hold a reception with light refreshments to feature Buncak’s oil paintings from 5-7 p.m. Friday. New works by artist Paula Dickey also will be featured.
Bunnell Street Gallery features “Seen From the Maze.” The new paintings by K N Goodrich, will be on exhibit Feb. 5- March 3, with an artist’s talk at 6 p.m. as part of First Friday’s event.
An Anchorage-based mixed media artist, Goodrich’s exhibit of new work consists of 18 mixed media acrylic paintings on torn and joined paper mounted to cradled hardboard.
Her latest work was inspired by one of the classic Greek myths, The Minotaur in the Maze.
“The journey into and back out of the labyrinth should be a hero’s journey inward to symbolic death and back out again,” Goodrich explained in her statement about the exhibit. “(The hero is) transformed by the arduous journey, to a new life – one not accomplished when one resorts to deceit, trickery and betrayal.”
Goodrich was born and raised in Alaska. Her parents came to Alaska from California to homestead near Soldotna with her extended family. The family moved to Anchorage in time for Goodrich to start third grade, but her parents and sisters moved back to Soldotna while she was away at college. Goodrich now lives in Anchorage with her husband, Jim Granata. Essentially self-trained over a lifetime, making and exhibiting art has been Goodrich’s primary occupation since late 1996.
The Fireweed Gallery reopens Friday with several “New Works,” including “The Dalton Highway” oil painting by Dale Webster Samples, designs in glass by Laura Mendola, whalebone sculptures by Aaron Barrett and Andre Vasseka, antler reliefs by Dan Buesseler, and “Mittens With a Past” by Nancy Nolfi. An opening reception will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gallery at 475 E. Pioneer Ave.
The Pratt Museum was closed for the month of January. It reopened with a special exhibit Tuesday, “The Big One: Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest.” The exhibit will run through March 14, where visitors can learn about the geological processes that cause Northwest earthquakes, the ways earthquakes are measured and detected, the hazards they present and steps we can all take to make our homes and families safer.
Artist Findlay Abbot will exhibit a collection of wood carvings and woodblock prints at “Observance of Hermits” a shop located at East Village 435-0488 across from K-Bay Café and the Gear Shed. He will have a reception Friday afternoon from 5 to 7 pm. All are welcome. Findlay has lived in Homer and worked as a draftsman and architectural model builder for architects for about thirty years. He has been studying the human form since Life Drawing in college at Fairbanks in the late sixties. Findlay’s inspiration for this show are mermaids and cottonwood bark. Call 235-8734 for more information.
CommuKnitty Stash, a new fiber arts resource, holds a First Friday open house this week to introduce its services to the community. Stop by the Yurt Village off the Sterling Highway for the grand opening celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. The store carries bamboo, Soysilk, wool, recycled Sari silk, sock yarn and hand spun Alpaca. Owner Sarah would like to hear from Homer artists about what their needs are in terms of stock. For more information, call 299-4789.
HOMER TRIBUNE/Naomi Klouda - “Slovak Girl” was painted by James P. Buncak while he was in Europe.
Posted by Tribune Moderator on Feb 3rd, 2010 and filed under Arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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