The Arts Centre at Dockyard continues to serve as a refreshing antidote to the larger exhibitions of the Society of Arts and while the exhibitors tend to belong to both groups, the organisers at Dockyard, probably because of its smaller size, are often able to present shows that cater rather more to specialist taste. Ever since they opened up shop, they have also rather courageously resisted the temptation of wooing the mass market. The Centre is now firmly perceived as a place that concentrates on creativity, where experimentation is actively encouraged, whether it be through the painter's brush or the craftsman's tools.

Such is the case with the current exhibition, a theme show encompassing the elements of earth, sea, wind and fire.

It would appear that the exhibitors were hand-picked, for not only are the artists highly accomplished, but also offer individual uses of media whose very contrasts provide a visual variation on the old adage that the sum of many diverse parts make up the entity that is our earth.

It is usually more satisfying (and, for the reviewer, far easier) to view the work of each artist as a separate entity and the habit -- with both societies - of sometimes splitting up individual artists in seemingly haphazard fashion around the galleries can be irritating. But the decision to place prime emphasis on the theme of the show, intermixing the elements and placing them in juxtaposition with each other is absolutely on target and results in one of the most visually arresting shows seen in a long time.

Dominating the exhibition are two of the brightest -- and dissimilar -- stars on Bermuda's art circuit, with Sheilagh Head's ethereal vision of wind and tide coupled, to great effect, with Charles Zuill's fascination with the solidity of earth.

There is perhaps a two-pronged statement in Charles Zuill's combination of fossil soil and sand set against frames of gold leaf, symbolising the life-giving sun on the earth and the blend of acrylics and soil evoking glowing gradients of tone. His Erosion series, which explores the tactile contrast of dried, hardened soil against the patina of smooth gold also investigates the pattern variation produced by wind, water and heat. The spare, cerebral lines and rich colours are almost mesmeric in effect.

Sheilagh Head seems to have entered another dimension of her art with her latest series of abstracts in oil, denoting the interrelation of wind, sun and water. In her more impressionistic work, the colours simmer and shimmer. Here, they burst forth in sweeping shafts of brilliantly primeval hues, the bold brushwork echoing the perpetual motion as wind and sun make contact with the sea. These abstracts enter the very core of Bermuda's unique colour power with triumphant effect. As with Charles Zuill's work, the longer you look, the more is revealed. She continues her experiments with three collages on paper where the cool translucent colours are still inimitably Sheilagh Head.

Providing another intriguing perspective are the sculptures of Eugene Daniels who, unusually, works in Bermuda limestone. Having to make do with the limited materials at hand gave Bermuda's early architecture its unembellished and unique form, a fact appreciated by the artists working here in stone and cedar today. Carving in unyielding cedar and porous stone means compensating concepts of mass and form for intricate detail.

Eugene Daniels limestone sculpture of Earth to Whoever harks back, with charming modernity, to the ancient art of the pyramid builders, reaffirming their bond with earth and eternity. His architectural background is also evident in his witty version of an elongated compact-disc holder, entitled La Maison du Vent and, again, uses the base to trace the scrolling motifs of ancient art. He turns with equal dexterity to painting in his dramatically abstract and panoramic interpretation of Inferno.

Paul Doughty, another sculptor of originality and promise, also works in limestone and cedar, expanding the dimensions of reflecting glass and paint in his Broken Figures and Soft Form with Mirrors.

Lynn Morrell, quilt-maker extraordinaire, has surpassed even her high artistic achievements in this show. Her Stitch in Time, with a carefully re-sewn gash in the middle (how could she ever bear to do this?) is a perhaps rather obvious message, driven neatly home by her use of the gently harmonious patterns of Liberty fabrics.

She comes into her own with the beautifully contained Earth, Sea, Wind and Fire, edged with fork-flame patterns, then the solidity of earth tones, the water colours of greens and blues, and merging into the neutral shades of air until the yellows and golds of the sun are reached at the centre.

A reminder -- and in this show it is just a reminder -- that the elements may be portrayed in more realistic terms are Roy Boyer's superbly cedar-crafted Fish with Crabs and Norma Christensen's marshland scene where pools of water and palmetto palms bathed in a rosy glow of evening light speak of Bermuda's ancient, if fast disappearing natural heritage.

There are several sea and shore scapes by John Kaufmann, again bathed in gentle light, but which somehow lack the customary power and sensitivity that we have come to expect from this artist.

There is an attractive and highly unusual coffee table by Kevin Pantry made of glass and holding mobile-style papier mache fishes.

Versatile Willie Collieson displays an engagingly titled and strong sculpture, Iron In My Soul, besides a quartet of abstract-patterned acrylics on blocks and frames of wood where the differing colours typify each of the elements.

This show runs for another five weeks and is worth the long trek to Dockyard.

-- PATRICIA CALNAN.

SHEILAGH HEAD -- Successful experiments.