Lynne M. Allison Memorial Art Show: Art of Marine Navigation

2025 Theme: Art of Marine Navigation

The Cannon Beach Arts Association is pleased to announce a new annual exhibition to celebrate the life and artistic contributions of the late Lynne M. Allison, a talented local artist and cherished member of our Cannon Beach community. This exhibition is designed to honor her legacy by organizing a juried exhibition each year that specifically highlights the diverse subject matter that inspired Lynne in her own artistic works.

A guest juror will choose first, second, and third prize winners from the exhibition. Prize money for the winners is generously provided by Lynne’s foundation.

This year's theme is Marine Navigation, offering artists various ways to find inspiration. They can use navigation maps and charts as visual pieces, explore themes of adventure, and incorporate tools like compasses and binoculars. Artists can reflect on journeys, both real and symbolic, encouraging viewers to consider their own paths. Natural elements seen by navigators—stars, waves, wind, and marine life—serve as abundant visual and symbolic iconography, the ocean's beauty and its changing moods, which are essential to navigation can also be considered.

Marine navigation offers vast inspiration for artists, encouraging reflection on human creativity, the natural world, and the possibilities beyond the horizon.

This will be a juried show with cash prizes

First prize =$1000

Second prize - $500

Third prize = $250

Guest Juror: Matthew Palmgren, Assistant Curator for the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria.

JURY DEADLINE: AUGUST 7, 2025

The jury process for the Cannon Beach Gallery involves a guest juror reviewing all submitted artworks.

• Each submission will be evaluated based on:

  • Artistic merit

  • Relevance to the exhibition theme

  • If the work is “Gallery Ready” meaning dry paint, has the ability to hang on the wall (wire, or sawtooth), has the artists name, title of the work, medium, and price on the back of the piece.

• The jury will deliberate to select a predetermined number of works for the exhibition.

• Artists whose work is not selected will be notified following the jury decision.

• Important dates:

  • Submission deadline: Drop off artwork August 7, 2025 at the Cannon Beach Gallery.

  • Pickup of unselected works: August 10, 2025, at the Cannon Beach Gallery.

• Artists are encouraged to ensure their work is submitted by the deadline to be considered for the exhibition.

*Artist will be disqualified for the jury process if the artwork is not “gallery ready.”

Cannon Beach Gallery Presents: Into the Woods

Opening Reception: Friday, Oct 3, 4:30–6:30 PM
Exhibition Dates: Oct 3 – Nov 2, 2025

The Cannon Beach Arts Association invites you to step off the beaten path and into the quiet poetry of the natural world with Into the Woods, a multi-artist exhibition celebrating the Pacific Northwest’s rich landscape. Featuring works by Connie Dillon, Erin Kendig, Adrian Stanciu, Mel McRobert, Martin Conley and Darryl Cox, Into the Woods explores the forest not just as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing subject.

For photographer-turned-painter Connie Dillon, the forests surrounding her new home in Astoria, OR, became a source of daily inspiration. Her intricate paintings transform photographic impressions into mosaics of light, shadow, and color—abstract up close, yet photographic from afar—capturing both the mystique and the embracing presence of the woods.

Seattle-based Erin Kendig blends watercolor, gouache, ink, and collage to reimagine nature in surreal, stylized landscapes. Inspired by trees, clouds, moss, mushrooms, and lichen, Kendig’s work brings overlooked elements of the natural world to the forefront, creating narratives in which the human self becomes both lost and found within vast ecological systems.

Adrian Stanciu draws from over 25 years of woodworking experience and an architectural background to create intricately turned bowls, vases, and sculptural forms from salvaged wood. Each piece rescues the hidden beauty of fallen or diseased trees, giving them a second life while honoring the environment.

Portland native Mel McRobert has been painting since childhood, inspired by the serene landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. His work invites viewers to pause, breathe, and immerse themselves in scenes that radiate tranquility and appreciation for nature’s quiet grandeur.

For over a decade, Central Oregon artist Darryl Cox, Jr. has been creating his distinctive Fusion Frames—singular works of art that merge the organic beauty of reclaimed branches and roots with the crafted elegance of picture frames, some of which are over a century old. His approach defies convention, embracing the avant-garde.

A third-generation Oregonian, Martin Conley has explored many creative avenues—painting, photography, and wood sculpture among them. With formal training in sculpture from the University of Oregon and decades of hands-on experience as a contractor, Conley has developed an intimate understanding of wood’s potential.

When approaching a new piece of natural wood, Conley lets intuition lead the way. His process celebrates both positive and negative space—the interplay of form and absence—inviting the viewer’s eye to move in and out of carved cavities, tracing the colors, textures, and rhythms of the material. The result is sculpture that feels alive, honoring the natural beauty of wood while revealing hidden worlds within it.

An Invitation to Wander
Into the Woods is more than an exhibition—it’s an invitation to slow down, look closer, and rediscover the interconnected world we share. Visitors will experience the forest as a place of beauty, mystery, and resilience, told through the diverse perspectives of five accomplished artists.

Opening Reception: Join us on Friday Oct 3 from 4:30–6:30 PM at the Cannon Beach Gallery for an evening of art, conversation, and refreshments.

For more information, visit cannonbeacharts.org, or email us at info@cannonbeacharts.org.

Annual Miniature Show

Theme: “The Little Things”

Calling all artists to participate in our upcoming miniature art exhibition!

This year’s theme is "The little things." We invite artists to create artwork that reflects the seemingly insignificant moments that make up the fabric of our lives. It could be a person, place or thing. Some examples would be your morning cup of coffee, a captivating sunset, or your favorite book. The purpose of this exhibition is to remind us to cherish the little things that enrich our lives.

All forms of artistic expressions are welcome, including paintings, sculptures, mixed media, and digital art, measuring 6x6” or smaller. Share the little thing that makes your day with our community during the annual miniature art show!

Digital Application: TBA

Artist Statement:

Randy McClelland
Hafu Potter - Random Yokai

The work in Hafu Potter – Random Yokai is born from a meeting place of clay, fire, and story. Yokai are the supernatural beings, tricksters, and spirits of Japanese folklore—creatures that blur the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary. At once mischievous, grotesque, and wise, they embody the playful, unsettling, and often contradictory world of the imagination. These jars, jugs, and vases channel that spirit, giving form to figures that remind us the world is never as straightforward as we might wish.

As a Hafu, I turn to yokai as a way of connecting with my Japanese heritage. They are a link to story and imagination that help me reflect not only on cultural traditions but also on the deeper questions of how we see and make sense of the world. In moments when life defies explanation, yokai offer a language of wonder and ambiguity. Through them, I find a connection to heritage, to mystery, and to parts of life that resist easy definition.

Clay, like folklore, is a medium of transformation. Each vessel begins as earth, shaped by hand, but only becomes itself through the unpredictable alchemy of fire. I fire these works in Neiseru Gama, my wood kiln, where the flames mark the surface with ash, carbon, and heat. Just as yokai blur the boundary between the real and the imagined, wood firing resists complete control. The process leaves evidence of the fire’s passage, creating surfaces that are never fully repeatable and never entirely mine to decide.

Working with clay and fire is how I find my balance in the world. It is both grounding and spiritual, a conversation with materials and forces larger than myself. These works are vessels of that dialogue—expressions of humor, unease, reverence, and play. By encountering them, I hope viewers are invited into their own reflections on belief, perception, and the mysteries that shape our lives.