another boost last week when an additional gallery opened within the Bermuda Society of Arts' complex in the West Exhibition Room.

The new Members' Permanent Exhibition will give artists an opportunity to show and sell their work on a year-round basis. Until now, space has only been available for 12 weeks out of the year, during official Society shows.

Mrs. Maria Smith, now in her second year as President, says that this latest project is part of the Society's contribution to the upgrading of facilities at City Hall.

"We did it because there is now an overall concept here. In the National Gallery, people can see what artists of the past did. Now we can present artists of the present and future. When we have a members' show, it can be used for special exhibitions. This smaller gallery will be open even when the main gallery is being re-hung. It will also provide revenue for the Society from sales of paintings, handicrafts, prints and cards.'' Mrs. Smith is hoping that people will be encouraged to bring their work in.

"There will be a selection committee to ensure that certain standards are maintained.'' This aspect of the Society's work is important, she says, as the Bermuda Society of Arts was formed (in 1956) in order to nurture the living artists of Bermuda and give them a place to display their work.

"It is working very well. We try to maintain a high standard but at the same time we like to encourage beginners and developing artists.'' Mrs. Smith says she is gratified by the recent, strong resurgence of interest in art in Bermuda. She believes that more and more people are feeling less intimidated about trying to paint: "There are many more male artists in Bermuda now, for instance. I think people are finally realising that painting is a wonderful release for tension -- instead of taking valium, go out and paint a picture!'' Art is not confined to painting, of course. There have been successful workshops in making monoprints and last year, local artist Elmer Midgett held an outstanding workshop in stained glass. "We're hoping to repeat that this year, because it was so popular,'' she says.

With membership at an all-time high of more than 600, and more active participation than ever before, Mrs. Smith expresses dismay at recent remarks made by young American artist, Emilia Cleopas, in an interview with Living last week.

Hitting back at her charges that Bermuda artists place too much emphasis on the "white roofs and oleanders'' type of picture, Mrs. Smith declares: "There's nothing wrong with that! It's not what an artist paints but how it is painted that's important. You can paint the same subject over and over again, as Constable and Monet did. If you live in a specific area you have to paint what is around you, unless you are an artist who paints entirely from the imagination. But that's an entirely different form of art.'' Conceding that there are "a few'' painters who paint solely for commercial gain, Maria Smith offers the view that these are artists who have stopped growing. "The minute you paint for an audience and not yourself, you cannot grow, but I think there's only a handful of people here who fall into that category.'' Artists who paint the landscape around them capture something different in each interpretation, she says.

"Our top artists are busy, out in the field, getting on with their painting.

That has nothing to do with commercialism. Of course, it's nice to be able to make a living, but that is not why real artists paint. People paint because they want to give a part of themselves. It is always personal and can sometimes be difficult and unrewarding.'' For these reasons, Mrs. Smith says that generalisations about Bermuda's artists bother her "because it discourages the public and the way they perceive artists. We should all be pulling together, not pulling one another apart! There are many different styles of painting and there's room for all of them.'' She notes the high reputation that Bermuda is now gaining overseas, with several Society of Arts members exhibiting their work and in demand by major galleries in the US and England.

The Society, she says proudly, has come a long way since its formation 36 years ago. She pays tribute to the founders, who included Hereward Watlington, Florence Fish, Donald Kirtkpatrick, Antoine Verpilleux, Charles Lloyd Tucker, Maurine Cooper, Capt. and Mrs. Mac Musson and the Cooper brothers. It was the late Sir Gilbert Cooper's vision and determination that ensured the Society space in architect Wilfred Onions' new City Hall when it opened in 1960.

"We took took another giant leap forward last year when 13 Bermuda paintings were accepted for the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of British Artists at the Mall Galleries in London,'' she points out.

Casting a critical eye over the pictures that have just been hung in readiness for the Spring Members' Show, Mrs. Smith expresses satisfaction with the just-completed renovations. "Besides the new permanent gallery, we have enlarged the office space and got some new furniture. We have an attractive entrance and the space of the main gallery has been broken up so that we can really appreciate the lovely proportions of this room.'' NEW LOOK FOR GALLERY -- Bermuda Society of Arts president Mrs. Maria Smith pictured in the new Members' Permanent Exhibition Gallery at City Hall.