The renovation of the Society's gallery was probably more overdue than most of us had realised. Now that the panel placed across the entrance, serving as the equivalent of a "corridor of honour'' has finally been removed, visitors can appreciate at a glance, the fine proportions and space of this room.

The overall effect of the resulting brightness and light seems to be reflected in the work displayed at this Spring Show. An air of crisp freshness prevails, both in subject matter and in the variety of participating artists.

There is an unusually good mix of work, the backbone provided, as always, by an encouraging number of our professional artists, but supported by enough newcomers to suggest that the Society is succeeding in its aim of encouraging as many artists as possible, and especially younger members, to display their work.

One of these is Mark Boden whose four watercolours reveal a clear, yet understated grasp of composition and a confidently subtle use of cool colours.

There is a rare sense of drama in his impressionistic Hurricane as two men on a boat strain against, yet become an elemental part of the wind that swoops across the water.

There is a similar sense of nature's power in Jason Semos' oil study of Hawk's Cliff, where sweeping brush strokes evoke a grey, rushing sea under a leaden sky.

Bert Lambe, in his first work for the Society, displays two stylish and colourful abstracts in which a motley collection of faces are caught in a swirl of patterns that are faintly art nouveau .

Another newcomer is Bryan Williams who uses flat, bright paint to theatrical effect in the blue-faced, yellow-eyed faces of four young men in Initiation Ritual. This same flat application of paint (in both cases, acrylic) that relies entirely on starkly delineated form, is also seen in the Calla Lily and Coleus of Deborah Charles.

Graham Foster brings his extraordinary technical command to Franco and Mistress at the Prado but there is still little sign of a style of his own: there is an increasing temptation now, to ask "will the real Graham Foster please stand up?'' There is a new confidence in Lisa Quinn's work, especially in her thoughtful study of the angular roofs and recessed walls of Blue Water House, painted in watercolours of shadowy blues and greys.

Otto Trott is back in full glory, with two stunning oils that radiate right across the gallery: Boys Fishing and Roof Workers almost throb with heat and sunlight as he evokes two of Bermuda's most enduring images.

Vying with these for attention on the same wall is the near mural-sized oil painting by Vivienne Gardner. Meticulously portraying every detail of her panoramic gardens at Woodhaven, this work from a distance resembles a tapestry and even close up, has the same, strangely impersonal effect of a work that is carefully constructed rather than emotionally felt.

Image No. 1, by Sheilagh Head speaks of an image that may soon cease to be: the lonely Bermuda cottage glimpsed through a blaze of flowers and tangled undergrowth. This is an eloquent work where the clash of soft pastel hues and brilliant colours perfectly demonstrate how the island's curious contrasts make for a harmonious whole.

Elizabeth Mulderig reminds us of her versatility with her humorous, Rousseau-style depiction of Ruth's Rescue and with a charming, small oil of a beach scene that is impressionistic in its treatment.

E. Michael Jones has, for the moment, forsaken photography and revealed another talent, this time with a fine set of monoprints that reflect his sure sense of composition and Jennifer Stobo goes from strength to strength with an acrylic still life of Fruit and Flowers and a delightfully vivid study of sunlight and shadow cast by an old hut across a sandy path in Abandoned on the South Shore.

There are many other gems to enjoy in this show: Diana Tetlow has three small ones, worked in oil rather than her usual pastel. Mrs. Bates is a splendidly rosy nude and Spring is personified in her burst of blushing Fresias. Maria Smith is also in fine form, with three sunlit coastscapes and a superb still-life of opalescent blue pots and vases, as is Joy Bluck Waters with an impressionistic view of Bermuda Shore. There are also pictures from such favourites as Bruce Stuart, Christopher Marson, Valerie Weddup, Amy Evans and Vaughan Evans, Molly Smith, Proctor Martin (who improves all the time) and a glorious concoction by William Collieson, If the Cap Fits ...

In all, a bumper crop in this Spring Show.

PATRICIA CALNAN NEW LOOK -- Mrs. Mac Musson, curator of the Bermuda Society of Arts, pictured in the newly renovated gallery at City Hall.