A painting by Grygiel of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is part of the exhibit.

Throughout the summer, the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum will host an art show featuring paintings and drawings that capture maritime themes related to lifestyles, landscapes and passage along the Pacific Rim.

“A Nautical Perspective,” encompassing original pieces by members of the nonprofit Pacific Rim Institute of Marine Artists, begins the first week of July and runs through Sept. 30.

People can view the exhibit in the John Williams classroom anytime the center is open. There also will be a special reception on Aug. 3, where visitors can meet and speak with the participating artists.

The 19 paintings in the show — created by 13 members of the Pacific Rim Institute — include depictions of the landscape in Cannon Beach, pilot boats in Astoria, Heceta Head, lighthouses, wooden boats, buoys and other maritime-related subject matters.

The Pacific Rim Institute of Marine Artists is comprised of member “countries” that are within or that border the Pacific Ocean. The organization primarily involves artists from the West Coast of the United States, but the group would like to see membership grow to include artists from Canada, Australia and elsewhere, according to member Mike Grygiel.

He views the organization as an “alternative to the big artist organizations on the East Coast,” but similarly special in terms of the camaraderie it provides, “along with a chance to goad each other on, to go to shows.”

“A lot of these people are some of the best the maritime artists in the country,” Grygiel said.

Since its founding in 2016, the organization has grown to the point that its members are now organizing their own shows and events instead of merely participating — which is what brings them to Cannon Beach this summer.

Grygiel, who resides in Richland, Washington, not only has been instrumental in collaborating with museum manager Liz Scott on the show, but he also is one of the artists whose work will be displayed.

As he recalls, he’s always been interested in drawing and painting, but it wasn’t until he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Panama in the 1970s that he found an inspiring topic around which to center his work: the ships going back and forth across the canal. Surrounded by maritime activity, it became a natural muse, “and it sort of grew from there,” Grygiel said.

A lot of his work continues to focus on maritime scenes around Seattle, Bellingham and the Puget Sound region. However, he also uses art as a way to experience and savor a variety of landscapes and environments when traveling.

“I go out of my way to find things to paint,” he said.

It also provides a welcome contrast to his engineering profession. Whether he’s painting a ferryboat on the Puget Sound or Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, “I get lost in it and it takes me back to where I took the reference drawing or reference photos,” he said. “It’s very much a way to relax.”

Grygiel met Scott while visiting Cannon Beach last year. She was giving a presentation on behalf of the museum at the Stephanie Inn, and the two got to talking about the Pacific Rim Institute and its artists.

“It took off from there,” Grygiel said. “The group is very enthusiastic about the show. We’re happy to show our work.”

For Scott, this exhibit is an opportunity to bring something different to the museum — something that will complement other artistic offerings in Cannon Beach.

To her recollection, the museum has never hosted a maritime art exhibit, but she knows there’s a particular draw to the subject matter.

“People really love that stuff; they’re inspired by it,” she said. She expects there to be particular interest in the “Nautical Perspective” show because “it’s not something you’d typically see here.”

The Pacific Ocean also has a significant impact on every aspect of life on the northern Oregon Coast — culturally, economically and ecologically — as well as influencing Cannon Beach’s past, which makes the exhibit a natural fit.

“We’re trying to find new ways to keep bringing people in and get them interested in and excited about history,” Scott said. “(History) is an important part of our identity, because it’s how we got to where we are. … It’s really important for us to be that place for people to learn and know about our local history.”

All of the artwork in the exhibit will be available for purchase, with proceeds going to the artists and a portion benefiting the museum.

‘A Nautical Perspective’

‘A Nautical Perspective’

An exhibit of maritime artwork from members of the Pacific Rim Institute of Marine Artists at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum, 1387 Spruce St., Cannon Beach

Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, exhibit begins Monday

www.cbhistory.org