?Nooks and Crannies?: A show of work at the Arts Centre at Dockyard.

The current show of work by members of the Arts Centre at Dockyard is called ?Nooks and Crannies?. To prepare myself I thought I should look up the precise meaning of the words to see how closely the artists adhered to their chosen subject.

Nook is broadly defined as any corner, walled or not, or other small defined space, built or natural. Cranny, on the other hand is fairly tightly defined as a small, narrow opening or hole; a chink crevice, crack or fissure. In the show there are plenty of nooks and not many crannies. Much but not all of it was given over to the predictable.

Amongst the unpredictable were two splendid, geometric abstracts by Angela Gentleman. They might or might not have been inspired by crowded architecture with narrow passages threading through it.

They stood out immediately for the quality and clarity of the colour and the balance of their colour schemes as well as for the skilful brushwork and pleasing compositions. They were enhanced by the works hung on either side, one of Joyce Beale?s batiks, this time of two ladies walking along a city sidewalk in a gentle evening light perfectly complementing the colours of its neighbour.

They are clothed in the style of 1911 or ?12, but not earlier, as its title ?City Sunset, 1901? might suggest.

On the other side is one of Amy Evans? staircase nooks, two steep outside stairs, one spiral, one straight in a tight architectural enclosure. The rust colours of the iron spirals are the dominating colours in her gentle colour scheme here.

It is a pity the gallery didn?t hang Mrs. Evans? other work, ?Looking Out?, to be found at the far end of the gallery, in this colour sequence.

It is of myriad apartments, one with laundry, basking in the sun in a closely built Latin, probably Italian town. Again the rich warmth of the colour scheme and the crowded nooks of dwelling space lend the mixed media work vitality.

The amazingly prolific Kok Wan Lee provides the counter stroke to all this warm colour by introducing five works in charcoal, all very dark but barely abstracted, unlike his usual work. Each one?s subject is readily identifiable and the very gloomy treatment adds a satisfying air of mystery to the show.

The Lee works are not hung together or even in their two separate groups, a habit of the Dockyard Arts group that I find both annoying and incomprehensible.

Thus the ten works of Rhona Emmerson are also spread around the gallery apparently at random. This makes a comparison between them nearly impossible and life for a potential buyer much more complicated. They are indeed a varied lot. The watercolours run from a limp ?Tom Moore?s View? to a vibrant and exciting ?Cedar Tree?.

The latter is compositionally strong and mobile and its treatment vigorous. In this vein is also ?Through the Trees?, a lowering view through the pendant roots of a spreading ficus. Among Mrs. Emmerson?s oils are two that reflect nature?s nooks admirably well: ?White Gates? through which a nook of warmly lit autumnal colours may be seen and ?Under the Trees?, a lush abundance of Nasturtiums filling their shaded nook with riotous delight.

Diana Amos, more prone than many to the expectable, grasped the nettle firmly with ?Nooks and Crannies?, a delightful rendition of the narrow alley behind Bridge House in St. George?s. Equally delightful is ?Nook and Chimneys?, a view of the chimneys and back door of Stewart Hall in St. George?s.

Grasping another nettle, that of unpredictability, Mrs. Amos has plunged into the world of modern technology with a Giclee Digital (whatever that may be) rendering of ?This Old House?, a dark and nookish house-front with, perhaps, cut glass designs in the lights by its front door. It was deep and mysterious and entirely satisfying.

Margaret Potts? ?Dockyard Nook? conformed precisely to the show?s guidelines; its subject was a drainpipe in a Dockyard corner, all hewn stones and paving blocks, the drainpipe crooked in the corner.

The rather grim subject was made completely palatable by the soft light and colour scheme, both combining to soften all the hard edges into a gentle work.

It extracted no little charm from so charmless a subject.

Suzie Lowe?s humorous ?Book Nook? is a blocky ceramic container for a small ceramic book. Its shape is anthropomorphic with an endearing had shorn off to contain a flat painted face. Any work that brings a pleased smile to one?s face has its own special quality.

These shows with eccentric titles very frequently lead artists to imaginative new works and very often the results justify the vision.

This is just such a show.