CANNON BEACH – A tantalizing array of art, music and literature awaits visitors to the Stormy Weather Arts Festival this weekend in Cannon Beach. A delight to the eyes and ears, the annual festival of creativity is set against a stunning natural backdrop provided by the ocean and forest.

Sponsored by the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce, the event features three days of music, art, theater, poetry readings, artists’ receptions, book signings and special programs.

The festival “kicks off the whole wintry holiday season,” says Allyn Cantor of the White Bird Gallery. “It’s more of a family event, not just a pure art event, and it brings people to town who might not be here otherwise,” she says. “It definitely gives people something to focus on while they’re in Cannon Beach.”

Among the art on display at the White Bird is the work of Royal Nebeker, a North Coast resident whose artistic prowess has gained national and international acclaim. Long known for his still life studies of flowers and vases, Nebeker has created a new body of work inspired by travel journals.

“Recently I’ve been using 19th century documents, trying to distance the images and make them more romantic by using antique collage. It takes the image out of the here and now and makes it more universal and less committed to a time and place … It’s distancing by time rather than physical distance,” Nebeker explains.

Nebeker says the Stormy Weather Arts Festival is an excellent idea because people who come to Cannon Beach in the off-season have a more serious attitude toward art than summer visitors do.

“It’s not the sun and beautiful weather. It’s the art that’s attracting them,” he says.

Nebeker, who has taught art at Clatsop Community College in Astoria for decades, is among the five artists and gallery owners scheduled to speak at the Chamber Lecture Series Saturday at the Chamber of Commerce building. He believes it’s an artist’s responsibility to educate, and says he enjoys it. Nebeker’s 1:30 p.m. lecture will be about perspective and frames of reference, and he will use slides of his artwork as examples. The lectures are every half hour, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Cantor, of the White Bird Gallery, calls the lecture series a very strong event, and an opportunity to get to know Nebeker and other artists better. “A lot of people know Nebeker’s work, but don’t really know who he is,” she says. “I think he still has an authentic perspective about what it’s like to be an artist.”

Joyce Lincoln, an organizer of the lecture series, says it’s a chance to meet artists and learn more about techniques and unusual mediums. Her gallery, Northwest By Northwest, features Native American artists. Their work is a “rich part of the fabric of the Northwest,” Lincoln says.

Another way to find out what it’s like to be an artist is to attend the Quick Draw Event, kicking off the festival at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Surfsand Resort Ballroom. Fifteen artists have one hour to create and frame a piece of art, with the audience looking on. Two of the 15 this year are Seaside High School students, according to Chad Sweet, manager of the Surfsand, who says the resort likes to involve local children in the event. He says all kinds of different art mediums are used – chalk, paint, pencil and even clay – and the art that comes out is incredible.

Woven baskets adorned with leather, fur, bone beads and other items are created by Utah native Debbie Thornock and are on display at Primary Elements Gallery, At the bottom left is a sculpture by Roy Peratrovich called “Learning Curve.” Photo by Lori Assa.After the competition, the artwork is auctioned off. It always sells, Sweet said. Only 200 tickets will be sold for the Quick Draw this year. They will be available at the door or in advance from the Chamber.

All day Saturday, art aficionados will get an inside look at the artistic process in action during the Art Walk, a tour of Cannon Beach’s galleries that features demonstrations by artists from around the world. The walk, which gets underway at 10 a.m. and continues until 8 p.m., is a wonderful way to sample what local galleries have to offer. Galleries will also be open on Sunday.

Also Saturday, there’s a free mini-concert series at the Coaster Theatre, which starts off with Brazilian music at 12:15 p.m. and continues with jazz guitar at 1:15, contemporary fusion at 2:15 and concert rock violin from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Saturday night, there’s a Late Night Coffee House, 8 to 11 p.m. at the Chamber Hall. Entertainment is spontaneous and informal, and festivalgoers are invited to join in.

Artist and gallery owner Michael Tieman works on a 3/4 life-size sculpture called ‘Fetch,’ of a woman playing Frisbee with her dog. Tieman will continue to work on the sculpture, which will later be cast in bronze, in the Artists Gallerie space during the Stormy Weather Arts Festival. Photo by Lori Assa.On Sunday afternoon, the Coaster Theatre features “Women in Song” from 1 to 3:30 p.m. And all weekend long, music will mingle with art and food on the streets of Cannon Beach and in the restaurants and galleries.

For more information, phone (503) 436-2623, ext. 3, e-mail chamber@cannonbeach.org or visit the information center at the corner of Second and Spruce streets.

Cannon Beach Gallery

Icefire Glassworks

Dragonfire Studio & Gallery

Primary Elements Gallery

Bronze Coast Gallery

George Vetter FotoArt

Steidel’s Art

Modern Villa Gallery

Ernst & Ernst Collectors Gallery

Haystack Gallery

Northwest by Northwest Gallery

The Jeffrey Hull Gallery

Uffelman Gallery

White Bird Gallery

Artists Gallerie