Although I have been reviewing local art exhibitions for only the past couple weeks, I have quickly learned that nothing can be taken for granted. One can never be sure of what one will find, especially when a group exhibition is involved. Such was the case when on Friday, September 1, I visited the Onions Gallery at the Bermuda Society of Arts. This particular exhibition consists of works by four friends and included in the show are paintings, sculpture and ceramic vessels.

What impacted me at first though was not so much the work but the gallery itself. Most of the exhibition stands that usually are the temporary walls in most shows there, had been removed and put away, so the gallery was wide open, spacious, clean and bright. I felt that this at last was a space that allowed breathing. It was only after taking in this over-all impression of the gallery that I could get to work viewing the exhibition itself.

I am not sure whether the condition of the gallery impacted the show or what. All I know is that as I looked around the gallery, there was a feeling of warmth and a sense of the magical in much that I saw. Often in group exhibitions, one artist tends to stand out as being the dominant artist, the star of the show. Not so in this one. It struck me that these four friends complement each other beautifully and create a sensation of balance within the gallery. That may in part be due to the way the show has been put together and I understand that Julie Hastings Smith is largely responsible for the arrangement.

The artists taking part in this exhibition are Angela Gentleman, Elmer Midgett, Julie Hastings-Smith and Suzie Lowe. Angela Gentleman and Elmer Midgett are painters, while Julie Hastings-Smith, who is usually known for her bronze sculptures, presents us with ceramic vessels in this exhibition. At least for me, this seems to be a new departure. Suzie Lowe's sculpture is new to me as well, so that was a special surprise indeed. Although her work is actually ceramic sculpture, they appear to be of bronze. She has developed the skill of creating what appears to be bronze patinas, where, in actuality it it only paint on the ceramic surface.

Angela Gentleman's paintings are fairly large and often colourful. I am reminded of old walls and there is something about them that reminds me of Mexico. I do realise that she has spend at least a year living and working there, so I may be seeing Mexico in her work, just because of what I know about her. But there is more to it than that.

Besides her paintings being colourful, there is actual texture in her paint and I understand that she mixes marble dust in with her paint to make the texture. She also uses a painting knife as well as brushes in making her paintings and that too produces real texture. All this helps me to see in her paintings the old walls and narrow streets of colonial Mexican towns. In a few of her paintings she has placed gold leaf over what seems to be old weathered surfaces. This certainly reminds me of the altars of old Spanish churches. Although her work in reality is mostly abstract, it is interesting to me just how much of the real world I read into her paintings. In three of her works she has painted human-like forms in niches and for these paintings, she uses titles such as "Clan" or "Family." These titles suggest additionally, the human presence.

Elmer Midgett uses an unusual painting technique. He first paints his canvas a dark, greenish colour. This is an under-painting and upon that he builds his final painting. The toning of one's canvas is a fairly old technique and one that I learned in art college, but I personally, have never seen such a dark under-painting. Since he uses oil paint as his preferred medium, I wonder what will happen to his paintings. Oil paint tends to become increasingly transparent with age and so it is predictable that his works will become increasingly darker as they age. Right now though, two of his paintings stand out in this exhibition and both make use of fabric blowing in the wind. One is a sheet on a clothes line, the other full length curtains by an open door. Both these paintings had a liveliness that is appealing. All his paintings except one are either of his house, its rooms and furnishings or his garden. He has narrowed his subject to just his small, every day world but what a charming world it is.

Julie Hastings-Smith's ceramic creations are like old leather. Indeed, she does seem to actually use leather in combination with her ceramics, but the way she uses clay certainly gives it a leather-like quality. She tells me that her vessels are smoked and then waxed and this results in this leather-like appearance. There is an age-old ceramic tradition in Mexican art and I also realise that Julie Hastings-Smith has also spent time in Mexico, but additionally, the Mexicans use leather as well in their culture so, here again, I am reminded of Mexico.

Suzie Lowe's sculpture is abstract-figurative, if one can imagine such and in some there is even a suggestion of the Surreal. On casual observation, her work appears to be mostly of bronze, but in reality they are all ceramic sculpture, with the appearance of bronze patinas. She, like all the other artists in this exhibition, has spent time in Mexico or to be more precise, San Miguel where there are, I believe, two art schools. It seems that it has become a real Mecca for Bermudian artists, Chesley Trott apparently leading the way. There is also a healthy sculpture tradition in Mexican art and this goes back to the pre-Spanish days. Although the influence of Mexico is apparent, all her contributions to this exhibition are made here in Bermuda.

This is indeed a beautiful exhibition and one that I urge all to see. It continues through September 20, so there is yet time to get up to the galleries at the Bermuda Society of Arts in Hamilton City Hall.