November 18 through 23 In his first solo exhibition Jonathan Northcott has confirmed what many have suspected for some time -- that Bermuda now has a home-grown potter of outstanding talent in its midst.

By the close of his opening reception in the Society of Arts' Edinburgh Gallery, most of the exhibits bore those coveted red sale dots, a testament perhaps not only to the sheer beauty and integrity of his work, but also to the very reasonable prices which allowed even the most financially challenged art lovers to acquire a pot of their own.

His pricing, which some of his fellow artists might do well to note, is of consequence, as almost all of his work is essentially functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. As he himself notes, if he wishes his pottery-ware to be used (as he emphatically does), it makes little sense to charge what he calls "outlandish'' prices. In this large exhibit of over 100 individual items, there are jugs, decanters, plates, bowls and even punch-bowl sets.

Rather surprisingly, the Bermudian connection assumes genuine importance in this young artist's work since much of the materials used in his art -- cedar ash, salt, beachcomber's sea glass, seeds, seaweed -- are locally found. These materials, however, become part of a far greater tradition, since the art of pottery has existed for thousands of years: his elegantly wrought water urns, bowls and vases also echo the artistic heritage handed down by those distant artisans of Asia and the Middle East, Africa, American Indians and, of course, ancient Greece and Rome. It is truly exciting -- and a major accomplishment -- for an artist to bring a physically Bermudian element to this universal heritage.

Unusually, but entirely in keeping with Northcott's "back to the roots'' approach, his wheel and free-formed clay is fired in a hand-built, flame-fired kiln at his home. Following, too, on the ancient Chinese custom, he achieves his often spectacular glazing effects through the use of brightly coloured glass. One of his favourite pots, an exquisitely small object, apparently fell over in the kiln and was baked for about 16 hours, to produce the striking patterns of rust merging with shiny, smooth blue sea glass.

For his large, "Fire Dance'' water urn, he has tossed in seaweed and cedar ash, the imagery being that of Indian fire dancers carrying their jugs. His spectacular "Black Magic'', which has a modern top placed on an ancient, swelling form used for the body of the urn, has cobalt blue glass "drizzling'' down its sides. The effect is breathtaking.

Admitting that his combinations of ash residue and glass is quite rare, this young artist is taking the ancient craft of pottery into new realms: there is a sense of modernity in his graceful, tall port decanter, for instance, the ash glaze fluted with, of all things, a pie-crust cutter, or in his spectacularly large punch bowl and 12 goblets. In an exercise of technical mastery, this bowl is thrown from ten pounds of clay and each of the apparently perfect goblets are free-thrown.

Hung around the gallery and giving some intimation of the physical efforts involved in the complicated firing process is a fascinating series of brilliantly fiery photographs by Antoine Hunt.

Earth tones, juxtaposed with iridescent hues of blue, green and blood red enhance Jonathan Northcott's deceptively simple, spare-lined beauty of form.

This, combined with the fascinating mix of sensually smooth and roughened textures, which can make the simplest pot or jug an object of great beauty, makes this exhibition a truly major event in Bermuda's now crowded art calendar.

PATRICIA CALNAN ART REVIEW REV