Last October the Bermuda Arts Centre celebrated its 40th anniversary. That in itself is worth celebrating in that the periodic divisions within Bermuda’s art organisations, in one instance caused the demise of the older organisation. This history has almost repeated itself several other times.

The Bermuda Arts Centre is a survivor.

But how has the Arts Centre survived? It has combined its gallery space with a small section becoming a gift shop. To some that may spell compromise, but it is a common practice for art galleries to combine with a coffee shop, book shop or a gift shop. It is often necessary for keeping the door open.

That the Arts Centre has survived and flourished is largely due to the vision of its management, especially that of Heidi Cowan, its curator and manager.

Emma Ingham, the Arts Centre’s first director, says that Heidi has continued to uphold the vision upon which the Art Centre was established.

The current Arts Centre exhibition is called Art by the Sea.

There are 74 works of art in the show created by 13 different artists. All are modest in size and price, but superior in quality.

Much of the exhibition depicts sunny, colourful seascapes, or harbour scenes, but one work stands out for its dark, mystical moodiness – Immersion by Jonah Jones.

Another unusual painting by Jones is Sea Garden and Current. It’s unusual in that it is a view of an underwater world of coral and sea grass.

Christopher Grimes in Pitt’s Bay C. 1890 continues his fascination with old Bermuda. Using vintage photographs as the source of his subject matter, he recreates the nostalgic world of a problem-free Bermuda that hints of human activity, but without human visibility.

Moonrise Bermuda is a magical, poetic portrayal of a moonlit Bermuda as seen from on high, overlooking the sea, islands and peninsulas. It is by Anne Hyde.

Another kite-high view is Southampton View also by Hyde. It’s notable for its atmospheric perspective. It’s an over view of the Great Sound, looking back towards distant hills that are lighter in tone and muted in colour.

Bambi Pimentel has contributed six paintings to the show. Of particular note is her Horseshoe Bay in acrylic.

Heidi Cowan also has six miniatures in the exhibition. Her Fisherman’s Commute shows a man on his motorcycle with his fishing gear, such as buckets and nets riding downgrade in a landscape that sure looks like St David’s. Its only six inches by six inches.

Hughie, Dewy and Louie, an oil painting by Lee Petty, depicts three punts tied to a dock, viewed from above. It’s a simple but memorable composition.

Martin Hatfield’s contribution to this show is an odd one out, as he is exhibiting three striking whale sculptures. I singled out his Humpbacked Whale, created by means of sand-cast aluminium.

Sand-casting is a complex method of casting that from my perspective poses technical questions that are beyond my ability to explain. Nevertheless in Hatfield’s case the results are very impressive.

Michelle Smith’s miniatures are bold in brushwork, but small in size; they are only six inches square. Her Cedar and Island has a freshness that goes along with its boldness. It’s a way of painting known as all prima, or wet in wet. In her case, it’s oil paint on oil paint, all while the paint is still wet. The results are beautiful.

Nahed Eid’s assemblages are jewel-like, mixed-media constructions. Although jewel-like, they are not jewellery. They are made to hang on walls. Materially, they are made of all kinds of bits and pieces, possibly from old jewellery; from who knows where, what or otherwise. Her work requires close-on inspection.

Eid’s piece that grabbed me is called Golden Beauty. Indeed, it is a beauty. It’s an image of a mermaid, a turtle and a starfish.

Otto Trott is a skilled painter in most traditional painting media; in watercolour, in oils, you name it. If I had to select one painting in this show that stands out more than any other of his paintings, I would be hard-pressed to make that choice.

Nevertheless, because of space constraints, I will select Princess Marina. It’s a gauche, whereas his other two contributions are in watercolour. What do I like about this painting? For starters, it's the complex, criss-cross composition of multiple, interwoven boats, of varying sizes, all intermingled.

Additionally I respond to the almost abstract suggestion of boats. None of it is ever detailed, yet you can see just what kind of vessels they are.

In contrast to Otto Trott’s suggestion of boats in Princess Marina, Steven Conway’s paintings of boats is super detailed. I would not have you think that one approach is better than the other, however.

Both are valid and in Conway’s case, his approach is just as amazing. In Mullet Bay Moorings, even the name of the boat in the foreground is legible. Notice also the treatment of the water, the reflections; the boats, sky, the hillside across the bay.

Susan McDonald’s Last Light at Hurricane Hill suggests the end of day, but where is Hurricane Hill? Wherever, it’s an oil by a visiting artist.

Vaughn Evans’s North; South is a watercolour on collaged rice paper. Which is north and which is south? Is the upper part north, as in most maps? Is south at the rocky bottom? Whatever, it’s a kind of simplified, zigzag composition, mostly in variations of blue, except the bottom section, which is a blackish, rocky depiction of rocks.

William Rogers is a regular visitor from Nova Scotia, who is an internationally known as a watercolourist. He has three watercolours in the show; one depicting a building on Ordnance Island, St George’s on a moonlit night. Notice the translucency of the water, notice the light, notice the stillness, the quietness.

This exhibition is a gentle, joyous beauty. Unlike some shows where artists might feel compelled to be provocative, there is nothing here that disturbs. On the contrary, it’s all about the sea, its moods, its beauty. Come and enjoy yourself. Make a day of it in Dockyard.

• The Bermuda Arts Centre is open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Art by the Sea ends on May 9, 2025. Admission is free