Winter Members' Show -- Bermuda Society of Arts -- City Hall Gallery -- December 2-21.

More than 100 paintings adorn the walls of the Society's gallery in their winter exhibition. After a stretch of guest jurors, this show was apparently juried by the governing body which probably explains its size; many works which would almost certainly have been rejected by an outsider have been included in what is perhaps a fit of seasonal kindness. Not that there is anything inherently wrong in jurying on the `kind' side, but it does mean a larger than usual offering of inexperienced work which often appears woefully inadequate when hung alongside the work of professional artists. There are, too, several entries by `junior' members -- a move to be encouraged, but perhaps less confusing to the casual viewer if hung separately.

The other `kindness' was the inclusion of quite a number of works which have already been seen and, in several cases, already reviewed. This leaves relatively few works, not already discussed elsewhere, that really arrest the eye or excite the spirit. Indeed, the first three to do so are all by professional artists: Diana Tetlow's informal, but wondrously evocative portrait of a pink overalled child leaning against a bed, certainly arrests the eye, as does Sheilagh Head's beach scene and Elmer Midgett's study of bougainvillea. Typically, he chooses to paint this exotic plant when it is denuded of leaves, let alone blossoms. Viewed diagonally across the room, these latter two works appear to be hung side by side (they are actually not), and provide an interesting object lesson in how two artists who are superbly confident in their handling of paint, treat their ongoing absorption with Bermuda's light and shade: Mrs. Head fuses deep shadows and furrows of warm pinks and lilacs, while Elmer Midgett paints with clarity that throws the shadows into stark relief.

Around the corner, there are two splendid offerings from Otto Trott, one being another vibrant study of his beloved Flatts, and the other, a somewhat myserious self-portrait entitled `Behold he cometh with clouds' which is not, as I had thought for a moment, a heroic spin in the annual marathon, but a biblical reference.

Kris Jensen is an interesting and gutsy painter, always experimenting, and never hesitating to share her trials as well as her triumphs with the public.

Her latest study, that of the Swinging Tree, reveals a lovely sense of momentum and, loosely painted, is quite unlike anything we have seen from her before. Frank Dublin, on the other hand, who has been intriguing viewers with his strong pitch of originality, seems to be reverting to genre painting -- in this case, a couple of `black family' scenes which seem utterly derivative.

Fortunately, he also has a study of a woman and child, entitled Remember Who, which has a certain integrity.

Bruce Stuart may initially appear to have taken a step back in that he has reverted to the `cut-out', three-dimensional effect. In fact, these are beautifully realised studies, one of St. John AME church, painted in burnished orange, its green door just ajar, and yet another aspect of the Heydon Chapel.

Other works which appeal are Catherine Draycott's strong portrait of an Edith Sitwell look-alike who, in fact, is someone called Karen, a wonderful sunrise study by Chris Marson which is surprising, for him, in its dramatic use of colour, Vaughan Evans' warmly toned and witty watercolour of Pidgeon French, two exquisite pencil studies of sea water shallows that look real enough to trail a hand through, from Daniel Dempster and also capturing a sense of place is Molly Smith's The End of a Homestead.

Dominating one end of the gallery is a set of Hockneyesque studies of nubile ladies frolicking in a swimming pool. Painted in acrylics by David Yuhasz, they are violently hued, yet have a refreshing energy and humour. At the other end, Vivienne Gardner has loaned her huge, stained glass memorial window, entitled Presentation in the Temple, which will soon be placed in St. John's Parish Church.

PATRICIA CALNAN ART REVIEW ART