Once upon a time there were two artists, a boy and a girl, Eric and Diana. They fell in love, married and share a wonderful marriage of 42 years this year. Along the way, Eric and Diana Amos produced another artist, their lovely daughter, Stacey Amos. Well known on the Island for their art accomplishments is the Amos family. The threesome, each with distinctly different talent, shares their commercial art studio at ?Longhouse?, a fine listed building on Penno?s Drive, St George?s, opposite the Shell marine gas station.

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His story: Eric Amos, born in Surrey, England some years ago, has a passion for nature, especially birds, and says that by the age of ten he recalls he loved to sketch wildlife.

?I attended junior art school in London but by age 16 I was thrown out of school for silly pranks.? ? I watch birds constantly. As a wildlife artist they fascinate me. I now am also a videographer of birds.?

His passion for birds was fired in the Antarctic while taking part in a series of oceanographic research cruises exploring the water around that frozen continent in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Well known for painting Bermuda birds for more than 36 years he is the author, illustrator and publisher of the highly acclaimed ?Guide to the Birds of Bermuda?.

He has exhibited in the US, and London where he was featured in the ?Bird Artists of the World? Exhibition at the Tryon Gallery in1972.

In 1971 he designed the much admired ?Deliverance? commemorative postage stamp issue and was a 1994 Best of Bermuda ?Gold Award?winner.

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Her story: Diana Amos, a born Bermudian, as a young school girl attended Bermuda High School for Girls. She always knew she was an artist. ?I always felt I was an artist and I remember doing Christmas drawings on the classroom blackboard, when I was very young. I won a few prizes here and there,? said Mrs. Amos.

She studied painting at St. Martins School of Art in London for four years and then went to Hornsey College of Art to gain her Art Teacher?s Diploma. Later she earned her Master of Fine Arts Degree, cumlaude, at the Instituto Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. A lecturer at the Bermuda college for 27 years, she was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Bermuda Arts Council in 1999. Mrs. Amos?s painting frequently focuses on landscape architecture and atmosphere of rural Bermuda. ?I enjoy capturing the shifts of light. And vibrant colours of the Island.?

She has had numerous solo shows in Bermuda and her work has been exhibited in London, Vermont, New York, Jamaica, Canada and Mexico. Additionally she is a Grumbacher Award Winner.

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Their story: As a creative couple they enjoy working together in their Warwick home studio and their St. George?s studio each doing individual projects. ?Our whole house is an art studio ? Diana is now working on several private commissions and I am always doing nature things.

?On September 1 the Audubon Society and the Dockyard Arts Centre are putting together a show ?Birds of a Feather? and I will have some new art displayed.

?I see a lot of art work in my head before it ever reaches a canvas. It may hang around in my head for years. As a wildlife artist you have to be accurate ? the work must be visually accurate almost like a portrait,? Mr. Amos said.

This year the couple has enjoyed travel to New York where Mr. Amos watched, sketched and videoed birds in Central Park. ?I caught the tail-end of the spring migration and saw about 60 species and saw hundreds of birds.

?We also visited Cornwall, England and Holland with our art supplies in tow, doing bits and pieces along the way. Happily we went to many galleries, museums and exhibitions,? shared Mrs. Amos.

The couple stay very busy in summer conducting art sales on the Square on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. They describe this as their ?bread and butter market?.

This year they celebrate their 9th year of being commissioned to do the artwork and writing for The Bermuda Colours Calendar, published by Curtis Enterprises. Mrs. Amos explained the main objective is to produce interesting watercolour artwork and factual editorial about Bermuda, including recipes.

There is a host of fascinating facts about Bermuda and an interesting tidbit about St. George?s is reflected in February: ?In 1620 Fort Warwick was completed above St. George?s. Fort William was built on the site and in 1887 it was converted into a huge gunpowder magazine and the moat roofed over.?

This page captures Barber?s Alley and gives a ?Mock Lasagna? recipe also.

They already have their 2007 calendar out which makes a nice gift locally or for friends who live abroad.

The pair always have their sensory meters turned on and their perceptions translate into a beautiful and unique Bermuda through art.