The weather might be pretty abysmal at the moment but summer certainly seems to have brought out the best in some of Bermuda's painters.

In terms of quality and variety, this is one of the strongest shows I've had the pleasure of seeing. That doesn't mean to say that there are a few duffers on offer, but by and large the standard is pretty high.

The two stars of the show are Christopher Marson and Amy Evans. I first saw Mr. Marson's work at a recent exhibition at Heritage House and was very impressed. His four watercolours here are of the same high quality.

Mr. Marson has a wonderfully loose technique and an ability to create forms with just a few broad strokes. His `Evening Glow - Going Home' is a particularly good example of a very competent painter - a simple composition that just oozes warmth.

Amy Evans has submitted to largish mixed media paintings, `Springtime' and `Of the Sea'. Although very different from Mr. Marson's work they make the same point -- that Ms Evans is an accomplished and confident painter totally in control.

To say that Marson and Evans put everyone and everything else in this show in the shade might be stretching it a bit -- there's still plenty of other things to please the eye.

David S. Hill has submitted nine beautiful coloured pencil studies of Bermudian marine and plant life that are incredibly precise and skillfully done.

I laughed out loud at Helen Daniel's `The Cat and the Canaries' and her animal characters are also great fun. She should get in touch with a greetings card manufacturer if she hasn't already done so.

I've criticised Bob Herr in the past for using a pallet that an interior designer might describe as Flanders Mud. But his `Regatta II' has a wonderfully blustery and bright atmosphere even if the technique is a little crude.

Being the sort of bloke who likes football and beer I normally shy away from commenting on embroidery - it's not really my cup of tea. But Lynn Morrell's hand dyed, hand quilted `Shallows' captures the shimmering dappled effect of sun on sea quite magnificently.

As mentioned earlier there are a few poor paintings on display but not many.

This week's booby prize I'm afraid goes to Bruce Stuart, for a quite appalling acrylic. When I first saw it I thought the painting looked familiar. I then remembered that I had seen something of a similar standard when I judged the Under eight's section in a recent art competition. Mr. Stuart is asking $1,000 from the first blind mug stupid enough to part with his money.

I'm tempted to suggest that Mr. Stuart should stick to photography, but I know he is capable of better things.

You've got until July 17 to catch this show, which I strongly recommend you do.

One final point. I recently criticised staff at Heritage House for not providing a complete inventory at their last show. It appears I got there late after some of the paintings had been taken down. I sincerely apologise for questioning their professionalism.

Gareth Finighan