: Friends of mine mentioned it when I was still at home in DC. They said if you ever want to take a break from what you're doing and want to do your artwork, try this out ? they have a wonderful programme. So I called up and found out all the information, ended up applying, and was invited to come here. I was very excited. The programme started October 1.I've been an artist my whole life but it's always been a hobby ? something I do for my own pleasure and my own interest. My career has always been rooted in the sciences; in biology, molecular biology and bio-chemistry.

I would take a break from that ? for instance, I studied in Italy purely for my art and to learn the language ? and then go back to work, to making money. But art has always been my pure form of pleasure.

: No. Not really. I kind of got tired of work. I was a patent examiner back home in bio-technologies. It was really amazing stuff to examine but it gets to you and I decided that's enough. I was getting too many grey hairs () and I thought, I'm too young for this. I'm going to go and do my art ? finally.

My decision varies. I definitely am going to make art take on a much more important role in my life, but I like to do a lot of things at once so I may end up doing a little bit of my old work as well. But my intent is to have art in the foreground.

I worked for the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I examined bio-informatics patent applications and patent prosecutions (submitted by) basically anyone in the world. People would apply for a patent and, as an examiner, I would basically help the inventors and attorneys to bring it to patent. Science mostly. They train you in terms of the law. You can go in there and have a law degree as well, but mainly they're looking for high degrees in sciences and experiences in sciences and work with bio-technology. I just turned 29.

No. I like working in all mediums ? not watercolours so much although I enjoy them as well, but I find it more fun to work in acrylics and oils. I like mixing oils, pastels, crayon with found objects. Right now I'm having a lot of fun working in oil, mixing it with the other mediums.

Oh yeah. The vibrancy of the colours here; how they contrast. The high contrast between shapes and colours and lighting ? when the sun sets here it's just incredible. I just love those.

The people here are wonderful too ? I think a lot of my work is more reflective of moods and feelings of the moment and I've met a lot of wonderful people here and they play along with that.

: I had a couple of friends here. I'd been here before. I was here during the summertime on vacation.

After I first quit my job, I just needed to take a break and came here to relax. But I was also here in 1998.

The first time I had family friends who asked for me to take care of their house. They're close family friends. They went to university with my parents in Poland.

So I came and house sat for a while. It was a great experience. I'd never been here before and I really loved it. It's hard not to fall in love with the island.

: I'm originally from Poland. When I was a wee baby.

Oh yeah. My family goes back all the time ? every year. I go back every few years. Szczecin. It's on the western border.

Yeah I do, but with a broken tongue is how I guess you'd explain it. We used to speak Polish at home, but it's kind of really tending more towards English now. I like to go back (to Poland) and practise.

They have this wonderful programme at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (which Americans may attend through) the Kosciuszko Foundation (an American Centre dedicated to promoting strong relations between Poland and the United States through educational, scientific, and cultural exchanges).

It's a programme that enables you to go to Poland and study the language although I really just went to learn how to write Polish. But there were people from all over the world who went there to study ? from Korea, Japan, France, all over. It was nice.

: I went to the University of Virginia and Georgetown University. And then also I was at the Studio Arts Centre International in Florence, Italy where I studied art.

About 25. I hope to. I never use a rag really, while painting. I use my clothing; my pants. And so I've been walking around town, with my work clothes on basically, and have people come up to me saying, 'Hey, cool pants. Where'd you get those?' I was like well, actually you know, if you give me a pair, I'll make you one just the same. I leave at the end of March. Well, my sister just had a baby boy. It's the first baby in our family so I'm really excited to go see her and meet him. The funniest thing is when I first got here on vacation ? I like doing things and being a part of the community wherever I travel ? I volunteered a lot at the Bermuda Museum Aquarium & Zoo and had a fabulous time.

But what's funny is my sister designed the nursery as an aquarium. I was so excited. And I have little pieces from the aquarium to take back with me. So my immediate plan is to go and spend some time with them in Washington, DC, but (as for my life), I haven't quite decided yet.

I'll probably set up a little bit of a studio at home to just have a little bit of extra money coming in. Maybe I'll take up a job with a law firm for intellectual property.

: No. I could be. I could take the patent bar exam right now without doing a law degree. I'd become a patent agent, not an attorney, but I have been thinking about law school so . . . there's lots of different ideas. There were some opportunities back home before I left. Someone wanted me to work for their law firm; another had me potentially helping a company for bio-informatics. It's software development. The most general way to describe bio-informatics is the merging of biology with the information technology world ? it involves anything from molecular simulations to data modellings to data bases of genetic information and the means of creating algorithms for searching them. It's cutting-edge technology. It's all over the place.

Ms Sheinberg's work goes on display tonight, and will remain on exhibit at the Masterworks Foundation for approximately two weeks. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, telephone 236-2950.