CANNON BEACH – During September, the Cannon Beach Gallery will be hosting a group show titled “Into the Garden,” featuring new works by Elizabeth Serreau, Carol Riley, Darren Orange, Barbara Temple-Ayres, Marilyn Rooper and Hanne and Harry Greaver. This diverse group of artists will be celebrating the cottage garden aesthetic of the northern Oregon coast. The show runs from Sept. 4 to 29, with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6.

“Into the Garden” is in conjunction with the Cannon Beach Historical Society’s annual Cottage Tour, also being held Saturday, Sept. 6. Interested parties can take a self-guided tour of 10 historic cottages in Cannon Beach’s Presidential streets from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in the Coaster Theatre courtyard that day or by calling (503) 739-0974.

The artists involved in the show have all looked to the natural environment for inspiration. Many of them are also avid gardeners.

Hanne Greaver says, “A garden, whether big or small, I think of as a place of shelter and refuge from the outside world, an informal place of relaxation, contemplation and most importantly a place of beauty and enjoyment. And like a home, it should ideally with its colors and design be a reflection of the personality and soul of its occupant. In spite of our sometimes dubious climate here in Oregon, I also like to think of the garden as a true outdoor living space to enjoy and draw inspiration from.”

Harry Greaver is a Cannon Beach artist who shares his wife’s passion for the garden as well as art. He says, “We have built homes in Maine and Michigan in undeveloped areas where we kept our surroundings natural with the addition of large rocks, ground cover and additional trees. In Cannon Beach, a smaller space has still been enough for additional trees, moss-covered rocks and ground cover. Subject matter for our work has often come from these surroundings.”

Serreau’s delicate pen and ink work often depicts the beauty of the natural world. She says of her work, “I have been doing pen and ink drawings for a long time and have evolved into adding oils to my work. The main inspiration is with the natural environment and particularly my garden which, in Cannon Beach is at the edge of the woods.”

Few flowers say “cottage garden” as well as fuchsias, as shown in this pen and ink drawing by Elizabeth Serreau. Submitted photo

Temple-Ayres recently returned from southern France, which is the inspiration for her recent body of work in watercolor. She said that,” the experience certainly educated my sense of color.”

Riley is well known for her botanical motifs in watercolor. She says that in her paintings, flowers can be either subjects or observers of the scene around them.

Rooper has a beautiful cottage garden in Cannon Beach where she cultivates rare blue moon flowers. Her work is a combination of calligraphy, pen and ink and watercolor.

Orange often finds inspiration in the areas where nature is reclaiming areas where industry once flourished, such as the slowly decaying piers around the Astoria waterfront. In this show, he will be applying his expressive vision to oil paintings of wild sunflowers.

The “Into the Garden” show promises variety, color and beautiful design work, just like the perfect cottage garden.

Cannon Beach Arts Association Gallery is located at 1064 S. Hemlock St. For more information, call (503) 436-0744 or visit www.cannonbeacharts.org

Darren Orange’s “Wild Sunflowers” oil painting shows not only the vibrant flowers growing wild, but gives a pretty fair indication of the weather. Submitted photo