“Weather Patterns,” a print by artist Stirling Gorsuch, whose work is being shown at Cannon Beach’s White Bird Gallery.

In this week’s cover story from Cannon Beach, painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists look forward to coming together for the city’s Earth & Ocean Arts Festival.

The three-day event, which will see live painting demonstrations, artist-led workshops and new exhibits at nine galleries, is a fundraiser for local environmental nonprofits like the Wildlife Center of the North Coast and Friends of Haystack Rock.

It’s also a chance to honor the connection between careful observation of nature and the practice of making art, especially for those whose work illustrates the land, sea and wildlife of the Oregon Coast.

And, of course, we humans — artists or not — are part of nature, too.

In the early stages of planning for next spring’s edition of Our Coast Magazine, trying to find a common thread between stories, I’ve spent time thinking about the ways people interact with the land we explore, live on, draw inspiration and resources from, and care for.

With that idea in mind, I’d like to invite writers and artists of the Columbia-Pacific to share an original poem, short story or painting that relates to a place within this region that holds special meaning for you.

That could be a park, neighborhood yard, trail or coastal viewpoint.

Send between one and three submissions by email to editor@discoverourcoast.com through Nov. 15 for a chance to be featured in the next annual edition of Our Coast.

Written items should be no more than 400 words. Paintings should be submitted as high-resolution image files. Submissions are open to residents of Clatsop, Tillamook, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties.