John Teply's painting of Seal Rock, part of the "For the Seventh Generation" art project.

Imagine 1,320 paintings each measuring 2 by 4 feet set side by side to create a mural of the 1,320 miles of the California, Oregon and Washington coastline. Imagine the impact of the collective impressions of 1,320 artists, connecting viewers to the grandeur and beauty of the coastline while reminding them to nurture the ocean.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, so to speak, or to be more accurate in this instance, an eventual 1,320 commentaries.

"For the Seventh Generation," an artists' collaborative project conceived by Portlander John Teply in the late 1990s and set to span 100 years, serves as an "artistic strategy for the ocean's survival," as he puts it.

"The ocean is not being protected from coastal development, pollution and overfishing. Also, people have lost their connection to place, and so that starts with the artists," he says. "We as artists have a belief in beauty, and that's a reason to love and protect the coast. We connect to a place and then we connect others to that place."

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Portland artist Erik Sandgren's painting of Cape Disappointment for the "For the Seventh Generation" art project.

Like the ebb and flow of the ocean, the numbers of "For the Seventh Generation" remain fluid. Since it's a 100-year project, artists will join and leave; panels are sold; new art will be added. The end goal is for the artists, committed as guardians for their chosen sites, to repaint them annually, continuing to record the beauty of the coastline as well as its changes.

Teply, as the Elisabeth Jones Art Center's director, reintroduces his project in an exhibition that opens Thursday, Sept. 6, and runs through Nov. 15. A fitting venue, the 4,000-square-foot center, which opened in June, focuses on landscape paintings that address vital contemporary issues. It was founded by Berkeley, California, resident Elisabeth Jones, who has made a lifelong commitment to environment and social issues.

From previous endeavors, the "Seventh Generation" project has accumulated around 400 paintings. Some of them will be shown with new works by artists who have recently joined, for a total of 100 panels at this exhibition. Teply also plans to show them all side-by-side - an exhibit that'll stretch a mile long - at outdoor shows next summer in Portland and on the Oregon coast.

New to the project is Portland artist Erik Sandgren, who submitted his painting of the craggy cliffs of Cape Disappointment, on the northern shore of the Columbia River bar near Astoria.

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Lake Oswego artist Rosalyn Kilot's painting of Astoria on a summer day for the "For the Seventh Generation" art project.

"Simply observing and painting the actual landscape is important. Any such effort evokes our complex relationship to nature," Sandgren says. "The Elisabeth Jones Art Center harnesses artists' skill sets to bring awareness to critical issues. This exhibition is an invitation to consider the danger we are in if our oceans are not respected."

Rosalyn Kliot of Lake Oswego is a returning artist, having submitted a painting of Cannon Beach for a "Seventh Generation" exhibit in Mendocino, California, in the early 2000s. This time, she painted a rendition of Astoria on a summer day.

"I don't take on external political issues in my art, but generally do works that reflect an inner voice," she says. "But at this point, with so many threats to our environment and the fact that funding has been cut on critical environmental issues, I felt compelled to submit a painting for this project."

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Joanne Radmilovich Kollman's painting of Arch Cape for the "For the Seventh Generation" art project.

Joanne Radmilovich Kollman of Portland painted Arch Cape, an iconic vista between Cannon Beach and Manzanita. "I get involved in projects based on my community surroundings and my interests," she says. "I am familiar with the whole Oregon coast, and this is one of those views that is timeless and could be anywhere. Our oceans are very important to our emotional quality of life, as is art."

"For the Seventh Generation"

When: Opening reception, 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6; on view, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, Sept. 6-Nov. 15

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Yer Za Vue's painting "Hazy day after the fire," a view of Oceanside Beach State Recreation Site. It's part of the "For the Seventh Generation" art project.

Where: 516 N.W. 14th Ave.

Admission: Free, elisabethjones.art or 503-286-4959. Panel sale prices range from $1,000 to $6,000, with one-third of the proceeds benefiting environmental causes.

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