WINTER MEMBERS' SHOW -- Bermuda Society of Arts (until December 21).

The Winter Members' Show is far smaller than usual and as such, reflects the assessment of the sole juror, President of the Royal Society of British Artists, Mr. Peter Peterson.

His final selections, which saw almost half of the submissions being rejected, must have led to some inevitable disappointments, tempered, I understand, by his subsequent personal discussions of individual work.

The rest of us, of course, have no idea of the quality of those pieces cast aside but the end result for the viewer is a show that, size-wise and assisted by the new gallery lay-out, is easy to absorb and of an unusually pleasing standard. And while Bermuda remains the dominant inspirational theme for our artists, there are at least some works in this show that break up the everlasting absorption with local images.

Most striking of these, perhaps, are David Dill's delightful paintings, worked in rich, almost wild acrylic colours, that capture his very personal view of rural Europe. His tree-shaded Dutch Canal, shimmering in liquid greens, the vibrancy of the English countryside, take on a near-surreal aspect.

Painted from a deeply felt imagination, their uninhibited vitality almost shout for attention.

Another surprise is a painting by Molly Smith, who seems to have taken an artistic leap into new realms, with the sparsely delineated and dreamlike quality of her Wild Wood. Already well known for her delicate flower paintings, here she reveals that her inward, rather than outward eye is now emerging -- and with fascinating results.

Norma Christensen can always be relied upon for a glimpse of the outside world and this time she presents a luxuriously painted view of North American trees in The Colours of October. This neck of the woods also provides the subject for two wonderfully free watercolour close-ups of rocks and water from Valerie Weddup, and Appollonia Wittach's hazily impressionistic view of Summer in the Catskills.

There is yet another shift in style, too, from Vaughan Evans, with his CFC Sower, a cleverly executed and strongly felt painting where flamboyant, Van Gogh-type swirls underline the vicious circle of a threatened environment.

Back in Bermuda, Maria Evers Smith allows a more reflective brush to soften the realism of two of her fine water studies, one of Hinson's Island and Low Tide, a particularly evocative composition of wedges of wet sand and rocks, enlivened by three figures playing in the distance.

At first glance, Ian MacDonald Smith's photograph of Branch Office, with its monochromatic tones could be mistaken for a painting (which is surely better than the other way around).

Joy Bluck Waters, whose work we see too rarely, displays through her innate sense of colour and always strong brush work, a close-up aspect of the exotic pink blooms and translucent greens of the Lotus Pond.

Sheilagh Head has just two works in this show which, as usual, capture as almost no other artist seems able, what might paradoxically be called the visual spirit of Bermuda. One is an impressionistic view of the South shore, where even grey skies cannot tame the myriad colours of wild grasses and flowers, and the other is of Ferry Reach, where endless skies look down on a solitary curving path that is echoed in the sweep of the bay beyond.

Mr. Peterson has commented that he would like to see more concentration on drawing from Bermuda's artists and those who take his advice might do well to turn to the work of Sam Morse-Brown for a few lessons in know-how. His two recent, magisterial portraits, commissioned by the Government for their gallery of worthies, though sumptuously painted, are not amongst my personal favourites in his long line of Bermuda portraits, but it is always good to see his World War II portraits of service men and women, drawn in chalk, and confirming his supremacy in this genre.

For whatever reason, Carol Roy's wall-hanging, Mediaeval Tiles, worked in embroidery and quite remarkable for its execution and air of antiquity, has been placed in the foyer. Don't miss it.

Also adding a dash of style and colour to this area are examples of stained glass designs by those who attended Elmer Midgett's recent and evidently very successful workshop for beginners in this ancient art.

PATRICIA CALNAN GRIM HARVEST -- Artist Vaughan Evans' CFC Sower, one of the exhibits in the Bermuda Society of Arts Winter Members' Show at City Hall, which runs through December 21.

BELOW -- Mrs. Sam Morse-Brown looks at her husband's portraits of service men and women, drawn during World War II.