Chesley Trott -- Sculptor and Mentor, The Bermuda National Gallery, City Hall, Hamilton.

*** Chesley Trott has been sculpting for more than 30 years and, in that time, has made a massive contribution to the Island's cultural scene.

Not surprising therefore that the Bermuda National Gallery should decide to put on a retrospective of Trott's work.

The result is a large display of Trott's own work spanning the decades, backed by two supporting side shows -- a collection of work that has influenced the artist and Trott's own personal favourites selected from the National collection.

I'm not sure the supporting shows are entirely necessary. The result is that Trott's prolific output is crowded into one wing of the gallery. The curators seem to have adopted a `pile it high -- sell it cheap' philosophy, cramming too much into the space. Trott's work would have more impact if each piece wasn't fighting for centre stage.

That shouldn't detract from Trott's skill as a sculptor. Not surprisingly, the majority of pieces on display are in wood, although there is also a handful of bronzes on display.

Now I always get a bit lost when sculptors start talking about "redefining spatial concepts'' and "challenging perceived realities'' and other such arty guff. Fortunately -- for me at least -- Trott's work is invariably based on everyday reality and even his more abstract works have their roots in everyday human emotions.

The wonder of Trott's work is in his skill to transform inanimate slabs of wood or bronze into living, flowing forms that are able to convey very human feelings such as happiness, joy or despair.

In pieces such as `Acrobats', carved in Bermuda cedar, the material is transformed into a lava lamp of graceful movement, full of energy and vitality.

Central to the theme of Trott's work is the relationship between two figures and in particular the bond between mother and child which is beautifully portrayed in such works as `Supplication' and `Mother and Daughter'.

Interestingly, despite the artist's longevity, Trott's style doesn't seem to have changed much over the years. The exhibition doesn't take the viewer on a journey of development or growing maturity which is surprising when you consider that Trott has been around for a while and has been subject to different influences. Pieces such as `Marriage', completed in 1967, bear a striking similarity to more recent works, although this is in no way a criticism.

Trott's bronze work does represent a new direction, the craggy, matchstick figures contrasting strongly with the warm, curvaceous forms of his woodwork.

But once again they demonstrate Trott's ability to inject the lifeforce into his medium.

In `Couple' a sheet of concave bronze is metamorphosised into a loving pair by the simple addition of a few knobbly bits here and there. It's so simple but it works beautifully.

This show, which runs until September 4, provides a fascinating insight into one of Bermuda's most well-known and respected artists and is well worth a visit.