Viewing `Finch, Finch & Boden', the latest exhibition showing at Heritage House, is like assuaging your thirst by drinking a cold glass of iced lemon tea after quarrelling with an Irish traffic warden from London.

Seascapes, tranquil waters and a glowing summer's evening spent gazing at a Mexican balcony, provide a welcome elixir, which soothes a fevered brow.

Nature exudes a fecund, karmic energy of hope and peace. It also gives us a chance to tune into us when the world turns haywire, and when caustic individuals try to make our day just that extra bit special. Absorbing nature gives us a chance to assimilate our thoughts and reaffirm our views in the midst of a hopeless m?l?e of fast living and complex puzzles, thrust upon us by the hand of Fate.

We should allow the ethereal beauty of the natural world to fluctuate in our lives and to seep through our souls more often, instead of pondering on the question of whether or not we have enough tights in our closet to last us a whole week or just until Wednesday.

English born realist artist, Carolyn Finch, has exhibited a number of very different contrasting works in this exhibition. She has recently bravely switched from using her most known medium of gouache to work in luxurious, jewel-coloured, lush oils.

Her assortment of pieces pacifies the senses by providing an unequivocal observation into the unrefined, unkempt radiance of nature, buildings and textures surrounding us.

In `Weathered' (oil on panel) she depicts turquoise paint peeling from some scruffy window shutters, cleverly revealing the grain of the wood underneath. She seems fascinated by the crude dynamics of textures and effects, and her images entice the viewer to delve deeply into the hearts of the buildings she paints.

Her work also serves to remind us that there is a great deal of character and charm in rudimentary, blemished, shabby and unkempt forms. Old, derelict houses harbour a history of laughter, tears, dinners and parties. The ghosts of past occupiers lurk somewhere in the shadows of the four walls.

For me, Ms Finch's seaside scenes definitely induce childhood memories and nostalgia of family outings to Brighton in Sussex on the south coast of England. Images flood through my mind of the family Jack Russell racing madly past happy picnickers, cheekily traversing the beach with a pair of soggy swimming trunks swinging from his mouth. A Kenneth Williams look-alike standing covered in goose pimples looks mauve and quivers behind a windbreaker. In a complete rage he shouts unrepeatable expletives at the hound in the vain hope that his prized y-fronts will be returned so that he may hide himself beneath them.

`Footprints' (oil on linen) illustrates being alone on a quiet beach. Soft footprints are depicted in the sand, set against a rich blue sky.

What is intriguing about this work is the way in which Ms Finch has managed to capture the opaque look of the surf breaking upon the shore.

The soft, silken sheen of the sand shines through underneath the water, which in turn, mirrors the colours of the mysterious, heavenly sky. This is also seen in her piece entitled `Mangrove Reflections' (oil on panel), which reflects soft foliage lazily dangling down above the rippling water, creating swirling, broken patterns on the surface.

It was the master of seascapes, Joseph Mallord William Turner who discovered the dramatic intensity of light and colours refracting upon the surface of water. `Whiting Fishing off Margate, 1822', is an example of mirroring fragmented shapes and colours of ships and sea vessels on still water. The overall result produces the illusion of boats gliding like swans across a glass surface.

The composition of Ms Finch's garden scenes in `Sleepers' (oil on panel) and `Devonshire Shade' (oil on panel) reminds me of contemporary artist Thomas Kinkade's work, in the way that both artists accentuate the endearing qualities of unsullied, natural settings, although Kinkade explores romanticism and idealism to the extreme.

Another artist in Bermuda to capture these characteristics in her work is Rhona Emmerson. Anyone having viewed her now ended exhibition at The Masterworks Gallery along Front Street, would have been impressed with the luminous quality in her paintings, and her bold use of oils.

Just as artist Angela Gentleman (currently exhibiting at Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard) was inspired by her visit to San Miguel in Mexico, equally, Carolyn Finch has drawn inspiration from San Miguel but in a very different way. Concentrating on buildings and the natural weathering of the effects of age on paint and brickwork, she shares with her viewers a snapshot of a late, mellow, Mexican afternoon.

`San Miguel Balcony' makes a profound impression on the senses.

Heavy brown shutters overlook an enchanting, twisted metal balcony, the natural light throwing out shadows to one side of the painting, creating mood, harmony and depth.

This work possesses a strong aura, which envelops your mind, leaving you longing to step into the scene. It seduces you into wanting to walk along San Miguel's streets, soaking up the atmosphere and the sunshine of a warm, lazy afternoon, while the aroma of food from bistros permeates the air and chattering locals donning loud cocktail shirts saunter past whistling to Herb Alpert's `Mexican Shuffle'.

Her other most notable works include `Railway Trail - Isle of Wight' (oil on linen) and `Whale Island - Somerset' (oil on linen).

John Finch is a fresh, innovative artist and the father of Carolyn Finch. He is her greatest teacher and mentor and it is evident that Ms Finch has inherited her beady eye for detail from him.

I can only liken John Finch's work to that of Aviation artist, Californian painter Stan Stokes, whose passion for infinitesimal detail and three-dimensional representations of aircraft make him one of the world's greatest aviation artists.

Stan Stokes is particularly known for his Second World War aircraft. One of his most exhilarating works is entitled `Corsairs of the Intrepid', showing a fast and furious fighter swooping down towards an aircraft carrier in the ocean. You actually feel as though you are there, flying just behind the tail.

Finch paints a number of automotive and marine pieces, which demonstrates his ability in portraying a wide variety of subject matter. His work is frank, intense and straight to the point.

Finch's brilliant oil paintings are also highly topical to Bermuda; `Farewell at Aquarium Station' shows the last days of the Bermuda Railway.

His most memorable piece, for me, is entitled `Lest we Forget' (oil on linen), depicting anti-submarine HMS Britannia &

Finch, Finch & Boden will run for an indefinite period at Heritage House.