When Bermudian artist Jodie Tucker held her last exhibition at the Bermuda Society of Arts in 1993, art lovers eagerly snapped up all of her paintings. This evening she returns for another solo show in the Edinburgh Gallery, and hopes her work will be equally well received.

Although she now lives in England, being born and raised here instilled in the artist an abiding love of nature, colour and her surrounding environment all elements which have shaped her style of painting ever since. Thus, visitors to her new exhibition can expect to find many beautiful examples of her floral studies the blooms usually being captured as they were bent by the wind, for that is another of her favourites in nature.

Ms Tucker is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she had the freedom to explore many different mediums, and almost chose textiles instead of painting as her major.

Many artists have inspired her work. Early influences were the French impressionist and post-impressionist painters, and she also admired Frida Kahlo and the Art Nouveau painter Klimt, the latter in particular for his use of patterns and symbolism, and whose influence is echoed in her early work.

Ms Tucker's work has always reflected the country in which she lives. Prior to moving to England, where river scenes and still lifes have become her signature, she lived in France where, in addition to buying and restoring an old manor house, she took to painting en plein air, capturing dramatic floral observations against the spreading skies of the Charente district in the south-west of the country.

"The majority of paintings in the exhibition are florals, and a lot of them are painted where I found them. I was dealing with the wind actually moving the flowers," the artist says.

Ms Tucker's medium is watercolours, which she applies thickly on rolls of paper because they give her the latitude to make her paintings as large and as wide as she wants.

Each painting begins with sketches and painted sketches on location. Back in her studio, she uses these, together with living specimens of the plants or flowers, as points of reference in completing her compositions. She eschews photographs because "they never work with flowers and nature".

Her paintings are framed with mattes because she feels they need to be treated like oils, and says that, for this exhibition, she has specifically chosen high-quality framing, which she describes as "really stunning".

Although Ms Tucker had a show here in a private home about four years ago, the fact that she has not exhibited in a public gallery here since 1993 is making her "extremely excited" about tonight's event.

"In fact, I have never been so excited," she exclaims, noting that preparing for the exhibition has been "a real family affair", with her brother, son and mother all assisting her in various ways with the arrangements.

"It has been great working with family," she says.

In all, the artist hopes to exhibit approximately 30 works, depending on how many will fit into the gallery. While the majority will be florals, some will be still lifes, but perhaps the "star" will be an armchair and footstool featuring her beloved bay grape leaves executed in needlepoint. Inspired by the famous needlepointer and author Kaffee Sassett, the design is Miss Tucker's own, and it took her took three years to execute.

In fact, bay grape leaves are a particular favourite of this artist,- so much so, in fact, that a friend dubbed her 'The Baygrape Girl' after she did a series of paintings of them.

"I love the colours. Every one is different, and I am hoping to sketch some more while I am here," she says.

* The official opening of 'Jodie Tucker's New Work' at the Bermuda Society of Arts on the upper level of City Hall begins at 5.30 p.m. and all are welcome. Thereafter, the exhibition continues through August 29.