It only takes a few minutes listening to Jo Birdsey Linberg in her quaint Paget "Birdsey Studio'' to realise she is possessed by talent. She speaks it, draws it and paints it.

The old stone walls of the studio are alive with colourful art which reflect the heart and soul of Mrs. Linberg and her family.

The Birdseys originally lived in the two-storey home on the bend of Stowe Hill in Paget.

In 1967 the Birdsey Studio moved into the back garden of the family home. The studio has an aura of enchantment. Outdoors, it is surrounded by a beautiful plethora of Jamaican violets, roses, and nasturtiums. Wind chimes ring softly in the garden. Mrs. Linberg's sculpture adorns the garden.

Inside, Amber, the family dachshund, rests cozily in her bed beside the antique table in the middle of the room. In the background, the music of Chopin and Debussy is heard. The frequent visitors, mostly tourists, are greeted with warm inviting smiles from Mrs. Linberg. Many of them are repeat customers.

She is very much her father's daughter, the late renowned artist Alfred Birdsey (1912-1996). There is a wonderful similarity, yet difference, in their art. "My father's watercolours were linear and crisp. Mine is softer with emphasis on colours, overlay, shadows, and my subject matter varies between landscapes, figures and whimsical animals,'' she said.

"When I was a little girl I grew up on Stowe Hill (Strawberry Hill) in Paget.

My parents opened a store on the corner in the 1950s called `The Banana Patch' to give pause and refreshment to the tourists pushing pedal bikes up the hill.

To make it interesting father placed banana leaves on the floor. Father was a friendly, outgoing fellow who conversed easily with all who came.

"My father hung his small watercolours on a line under the balcony to attract their attention. My mother, Whilma, a nurse, was forever patching up the wounds of those who came to grief rounding the corner on their bikes. It was a two way street which linked Hamilton to the South Shore,'' she reflected.

Mrs. Linberg, a Bermudian, was born in 1945 and was educated at Warwick Academy and the Bermuda High School for Girls. She went on to gain a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Latin and a Certificate of Education from Nottingham University in Great Britain. She has taught Latin, archaeology and classical studies in England and Bermuda.

Her childhood environment was very family-oriented with a lot of love. She and her sister, Toni, grew up in a happy world of paint and experiment.

Mrs. Linberg said: "At an early age father worked in the art department of the Bermuda Bookstore and he became fascinated by what he saw. He began painting small scenes of Bermuda and years later my sister and I used to help out also. I was about nine years old. Now my son helps me.'' In the early 1960s there was a visiting artist from the US, Joe Jones, who encouraged Mr. Birdsey to try modern expression. Books on modern art were not found easily in those days but kind people lent them and sent them. After school the girls would come home to find their father experimenting with new techniques. Those were exciting days.

At night, around the dinner table, they would talk about art and sketch each other for fun. Other artists would sometimes dine with them and there were challenging topics to discuss.

The Birdseys are self-taught artists. Mr. Birdsey's work is seen around the world. His style allowed him to be prolific. "He could work up a picture in about five to ten minutes. When people came here to the studio they might buy one picture and my father would give them two or three,'' laughed Mrs.

Linberg.

"He never painted to get rich, he painted for the love of it and never took himself too seriously.

"My father's boat, The Mary Lee , was the only one on the east side of Red Hole. We would take visitors out sailing and fishing and come home and have a big fish fry. We would catch lobsters that weighed five or six pounds and there were plenty of conchs and scallops off of Hawkins Island. It was a wonderful life.'' The various hues of blue and green water are captivating in Mrs. Linberg's work and you can see her appreciation for the ocean and the brilliant light surrounding Bermuda. Freedom of expression and whimsy became important elements of her art coupled with her classical education.

"I am an innovative artist. I take a subject and exaggerate it to excite the mind and eye, extending lines of motion. I play with the composition. I enjoy painting cats as they have wonderful sculptural lines and epitomise freedom.

Sailboats are also a favourite subject.'' In 1971 Mrs. Linberg ran the Birdsey studio for three months while her parents visited Australia. A woman from a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio came by and wanted her father to do some animal pictures for the children's ward.

"I advised her father was away but I enjoyed doing animals very much. I showed her a picture or two and she commissioned me to do as many as I could in two days. I did 15 whimsical animals in two days thinking she would buy two or three and she bought them all. I recognised then that creativity was in my blood.'' She combined teaching at the Bermuda High School and painting on weekends for several years, retiring from full-time teaching in 1978 and became focused on painting and later, motherhood.

Mrs. Linberg makes painting sound easy.

"I draw with a paintbrush then put wash over the top. Art is understanding your subject matter and letting your sensitivity out. You must understand the capability of your tools. I have lived with some brushes for 30 years. A shaving brush is great for my kind of art. I love Japanese brushes,'' she said.

"Painting is a strange thing. You have an idea and the paint takes over. I am responding to the paint. I paint in chords of colour.'' As for mediums, Mrs. Linberg prefers oils, watercolours and mixed media. She says that acrylics are too harsh and pastels aren't lively enough for her taste. Her favourite colour is blue ultramarine -- pure blue because it has a lot of light.

One of her favourite subjects, Bermuda's smaller cottages, intrigue her. "The cottages find their origins in the architecture of simple farm houses in Southwest England, the birthplace of Bermuda's early settlers. I enjoy the hips, gable ends, chimneys, eyebrows, stairs, walls and gate posts. I think of them as visual poetry.'' Continued on page 8 The Birdsey family keeps art alive and tourists continue to visit Her paintings reflect the breezy Birdsey style. Mrs. Linberg has been influenced by her father's work for 50 years. "It is a thing which our family does.'' Her Norwegian husband, Sjur, an architect, and their 18 year old son, Kristen, contribute to the studio on occasion.

"Centuries ago it was not unusual for there to be families of painters,'' said Mrs. Linberg.

Turn of the century painters are those most admired by Mrs. Linberg, especially Maurice de Vlaminck, a Fauve painter who believed in the freedom of painting, quick strokes and bright colour.

She also loves the Scottish Colourists, and enjoys August Macke. Her animal paintings have been described as having a touch of Chagall.

In 1985, Mr. Birdsey's eyes began to deteriorate and Mrs. Linberg began painting landscapes in addition to animals and figures.

"Art is about feeling imagination and curiosity. Don't say you can't, rather explore the subject fully and let go. If you are learning to draw, try to draw in a free manner.'' Mrs. Linberg was very close to her father and enjoyed talking about art with him. They painted together almost daily. In his latter years, he would share Mrs. Linberg's sketches for a change in composition.

"Producing watercolours was a necessity -- it was what the family had been involved in for many years and that's why I do what I do,'' she said.

Mrs. Linberg paints mostly for visitors and has a lot of personal contacts.

She made the following remarks regarding tourism: "People have a romantic attachment to Bermuda. Everyone says it's lovely but the traffic is intense. I think we should be concerned about noise pollution.

Tourists enjoy tranquility.

"Tourists love the naturalness and politeness of Bermudians and the openness we offer.

"Our bus service is to be praised.

"It is very difficult for people to get a taxi when it is raining or when a cruise ship is in Hamilton.

"The back door of a tourist accommodation should be just as clean and attractive as the front door.'' In addition to private collections in Europe, Great Britain and the US, there is a permanent collection of Mrs. Linberg's work at Children's Hospital in Washington D.C. Paintings are found at the Birdsey Studio, 5 Stowe Hill in Paget, Bridge House Art Gallery, St. George's, the Arts Centre at Dockyard and Windjammer Gallery, Hamilton.

The Birdsey Studio is visited Monday through Friday 10.30 a.m. until 1 p.m., March through July and September through November or by appointment. The studio telephone is: 236-6658 or 236-5845 at home. The fax is 236-9123.

Genteel artist : Jo Birdsey Linberg, strikes a casual pose in front of the Birdsey Studio on Stowe Hill, Paget. The Birdseys have long been a popular Bermuda family to many tourists who collect their art. Numerous tourists flock to the studio which is surrounded by a tranquil garden setting of interesting plants and sculpture crafted by Mrs. Linberg. It is an artistic haven.

Amber, the family pet, relaxes in the comfortable art studio.

Sailboats : They are a favourite Bermuda theme for Mrs. Linberg.

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