Christopher Marson -- Artists Up Front Street -- Masterworks Gallery, Front Street, Hamilton.

*** Watercolour can be a pretty cruel medium. Unlike oils, every stroke that's put down has to be the right stroke, every tone, every hue in harmony with the whole. The transparency of the medium leaves few hiding places for the inept painter to shield behind.

As a pretty inept painter myself it's never been my favourite medium.

Furthermore I often find that the results can be a bit insipid, a bit, well, wishy-washy, even in the hands of somebody who knows what they're up to. It seems not many artists are brave enough to really grab their colours by the throat.

So it's indeed a rare delight to wallow in the work of somebody who not only has complete control over their chosen medium but also uses that skill to the most dazzling and brilliant effect.

This exhibition features 19 of Marson's watercolours, all landscapes depicting Bermudian scenes.

Marson has an easy, loose, informal technique. There is very little underdrawing to help guide Marson's brush, instead he seems to go straight for the kill, laying down rich washes of shimmering golds, cool purples and rich, luscious greens - a sign of an artist brimming with confidence in his own ability -- and quite rightly too.

Not that all of his paintings worked for me. There are one or two beach scenes where he does fall into that trap of failing to be bold enough and the results look a little washed out, with little happening, but these are exceptions rather than the rule.

Marson's show is simply `dazzling' Where Marson does seem to excel is in his depiction of buildings and the differing effects that changing light plays on their surface.

`Gibbs Hill' is an unusual take on a subject so familiar to many painters.

Marson chooses to ignore the towering stack and instead just focuses on the base of the lighthouse, which is splashed with the shadows of surrounding structures. It was a pretty hot morning on Front Street when I reviewed this exhibition but just looking at Marson's soothing shadows had a cooling effect.

The work that perhaps best typifies Marson's style is `Evening Light', a group of rooftops shimmering in the setting sun, glimpsed through a crop of evergreens. Like a lot of Marson's work, the composition is reduced to a few blocked-in shapes. With just a few strokes, Marson is able to create something so solid and real while his colours are pure and clear yet bold. Like anyone on top of his game Marson makes the whole process look so easy and so simple, which is part of his appeal.

Not surprisingly a large number of the works on display here have already been sold. One shouldn't be surprised for two reasons: first and foremost because Marson is a wonderfully gifted painter who produces works of astonishing beauty. Furthermore, while his ability may be sky high, his feet are firmly on the ground when it comes to valuing his work.

Most of the paintings here will cost you around $800, which is an absolute bargain in my view. Although Marson is not a full time painter he really should consider upping his prices a bit at the very least. Then again, maybe that would only encourage the droves of talentless artists to do likewise and we wouldn't want that would we? Unfortunately this show doesn't have much longer to run but, if you have a chance, I recommend you pay it a visit. You won't be disappointed.

Spectacular view : `Dockyard Palms', one of artist Chris Marson's works currently on display at Masterworks.