Jacqueline Alma’s portraits are, in my view, some of the most accomplished ever to be exhibited in Bermuda, especially her portrait of Trikeita Outerbridge. Surprisingly, this is also the artist’s first solo exhibitionI have always been cautious in the use of superlatives, but I cannot think of having seen anything finer, in local exhibitions, than the portrait of Ms. Outerbridge. It is a thoughtful, measured work with a great sense of craft, particularly the mixing and application of paint. At the same time the artist manages to keep the work fresh and unlaboured. There is also a wonderful sense of glowing light emanating from the aqua background, while the white dress, the sitter is wearing, is a technical tour de force in terms of detail. In painting the dress, the artist conveys the sense that it is made of a sheer, translucent material and I am told it is called cotton batiste.I was intrigued by the title of the exhibition; ‘The red Thread’, and was interested to read the Chinese proverb in the exhibition’s introductory statement, suggesting a red thread connects` those we are destined to meet. I picked-up on that concept, for this past November I had opportunity to visit Ankor Wat in Cambodia and as I was leaving the temple area, a local approached me and politely asked to tie a red thread around my wrist. I suspect something similar in meaning.I first came across Jacqueline Alma’s work when she exhibited her large, full length portrait of ‘Janel with Cedar’, in the 2011 Charman Prize Exhibition. It too is impressive and in my estimation should have received the first prize for that years exhibition.Since then she has painted two other large full length portraits, in this case, of males, both of which are in this Masterworks exhibition, however, until this exhibition, one known as ‘Shallow Waters’ was on show at the Bermuda National Gallery. For the duration of this exhibition, that work has been replaced in the BNG by a smaller self portrait and two still-life paintings.I was walking through the Watlington Room at the BNG early last week when I came across the artist’s self portrait and immediately I detected what I thought was the influence of Euan Uglow and by extension, that of Sir William Coldstream. At the recent opening of her Masterworks’ exhibition, Ms. Alma confirmed that Uglow was certainly an inspiration.Euan Uglow (1932-2000) studied with William Coldstream (1908-1987) at the Camberwell School of Art and also at the Slade and utilised a similar method of measuring and mark-making to that of Coldstream. Uglow uses what appears to be faceted applications of paint and it was a similar use of paint that I saw in Alma’s work that reminded me of Uglow. It gives the work, a quasi cubistic appearance, but at the same time is more realistic. In the end, although realistic, it is also recognisably modern.Jacqueline Alma’s portraits take 500-600 hours to create and she does not use photographs. She insists that in order to understand the person being portrayed, it is necessary to work from the living, breathing person and in that sense, what she has painted for this exhibition is more than just a portrait, or a likeness of the individual human being. It is more that of a painted biography.In addition to the portraits, Jacqueline Alma, in this exhibition, is also showing a selection of still-life paintings and drawings of details used in the portraits, such as a cedar sapling or a brain coral.The exhibition continues through June 12, 2013 and is in the Rick Faries Gallery at the Masterworks Museum. There is still time to see the show and it is highly recommended.