?The Way We Live? is the title of a show of work by members of the Arts Centre at Dockyard.

It didn?t inspire a solid turn out by the members and is perhaps the most disappointing show to be mounted in this gallery since I have been reviewing such events.

A very few artists monopolise the show, of whom Jonah Jones produce just over a quarter of all the works to be seen.

Ordinarily this wouldn?t be to the detriment of any show. His work is generally very successful.

All but a few of his 11 small paintings, however, looked as though they had been dashed of in an afternoon?s frantic painting of his own home.

Exceptions were the two impressions of ?The Road Home?, both of which had an enticing charm, and ?The Way We Live 2?, a corner of the artist?s bar with an interesting composition and texture.

The rest of his work was decidedly pedestrian. Unfortunately for the shown work, one can step into the artist?s adjacent studio and admire his most recent unhurried work.

The comparison is unfortunate to say the least.

Helen Evans and Kok Wan Lee, each with six works in the show, combine with Mr. Jones to produce over half the work to be seen.

Helen Evans works in guache in a rather fey style, but without either the humour or the simplicity that informs Elizabeth Mulderig?s better known work.

The always prolific Kok Wan Lee ignores the show?s theme completely, adhering to his preferred abstract mode.

?Old Faces? and ?New Faces? were very dark and murky, perhaps based on wrought ironwork, but had something of an intriguing quality nevertheless.

The four versions of ?Shirley and Pear? were also abstractions, but with no apparent derivation and little to commend a muddy application of colour.

Joyce Beale and Chris Marson, with five works each, were also in the monopolist?s race. Joyce Beale almost completely ignored the theme of the show.

This perhaps freed her to do more of her wonderful, subtly coloured batiks without constraint.

Her subject matter varied from an Indian goddess to splendid sunflowers and were as cool and collected as her work almost always is.

The exception here was where she did follow the exhibition?s theme with an unfortunate lemon yellow ?Home Sweet Home?.

Chris Marson did follow the theme and was really the only artist to do so successfully.

All five of his works are small, in ink and wash, and are quick sketches, almost snapshots in nature.

They depict people ?eating out? in an almost cartoon style. The snapshot nature of the works give them a fresh immediacy and enormous charm. Each one is small and together make a splendid set.

Of Eileen Thomas? rather meticulous work ?Pompano Roofs? took the eye because of its interesting composition and the angle of the light playing on it.

Everything about the acrylic work, including the perspectives that demanded careful attention, was right.

Because nothing was was inherently uncomfortable and the essential rules were followed the powerful nature of the work comes across admirably.

So precise is Chai T?s work that it almost makes me wince. If you like this style and subject matter, then they are splendid; If not you won?t.

As is usually the case at the Dockyard gallery, one of Lynn Morrell?s beautifully executed quilts is hung facing the entrance.

This one is of a closed Dutch door with an assortment of keys in front of it and a hand, palm out, on a square of orange cloth on the upper half of the door. It is a mite unwelcoming.

As I was sitting jotting down notes for this review a banker from abroad with whom I had just had lunch appeared with his wife, surprising me as much as my unexpected presence surprised him.

After walking around the exhibition he paused to say good bye with the single comment, ?Uninspiring.?

I could only agree.