When Linda Vickers' first solo exhibition, 'Artrepreneur' opens tomorrow at the Masterworks Foundation gallery off Front Street, the self-taught artist promises her style will be "totally different" to other styles she has seen here.

"It is just down to earth ? realistic," she says.

Born and raised on the 40-acre family farm in the heart of rural Louisiana, where she had to take her turn tending the cows, chickens and other livestock, its rural influences and those of the surrounding countryside, remain deep within her soul.

"My parents taught us responsibility, and I had to be very responsible," Ms Vickers says of her formative years. "I wanted to learn everything about life."

Small wonder, then, that the artist's favourite subjects are nature-based ? and include birds, horses, and flowers.

The middle of five children, growing up Ms Vickers loved to draw, but it was not until many years later when her daughter left for college and she found she had time on her hands that she decided to take up painting in earnest.

With no clue how to begin, she attended a series of workshops and seminars given by accomplished artists as a first step and has never looked back.

In fact, people liked her work so much that she soon began teaching basic drawing to children in her community, and then oil painting to adults.

At the same time she followed the advice of a well-known artist who told her that anyone who was serious about art must paint for some portion of every day.

"Since I was really serious, I painted for eight to 12 hours a day, and I improved so much that when I joined the Sabine Art Guild and entered a juried show in the beginners category, I was told I wasn't a beginner, and they put me in the professional category," Ms Vickers says. "I won first place and also Best in Show. That was a surprise."

Ms Vickers also became a member of the Natchitoches Art Guild and Nacadoches Art League, where she also won top honours in many shows including 'Artport', an ongoing exhibition at the Shreveport, Louisiana Regional Airport, the Louisiana Duck Stamp Competition, and other fundraising and charitable events.

Woodworking was another hobby the creative Ms Vickers pursued in her own workshop, and again her work was well received.

Years later, she met her husband, graphic designer and Aardvark Communications director John Elsegood, on the internet, and they were married four years ago. Now living in Somerset, Ms Vickers continues to pursue both hobbies with characteristic passion, and will exhibit both paintings and wood items in her exhibition.

In fact, she has also made many of the frames for her paintings.

"How do I do all the things I can do?" she asks.

"Well, it was out of necessity. I love learning and I love educational programmes. If you don't always want to learn something you might as well be dead."

Unlike many artists discovering Bermuda, she has eschewed such traditional subjects as cottages, beaches and landscapes.

Instead, she has developed a fascination for motocross and harness racing.

"The motocross kids were absolutely fantastic and I love horses," the former farm girl says.

"I want to do something that is different and that hasn't been done before. I had never been to a horse race before and I said, 'This is gorgeous'."

Ms Vickers' initial introduction to Masterworks came through attending shows with her husband, and she is thrilled to be part of its 'Artists Up Front....Street' series.

"I love Masterworks, they are wonderful," she says.