When they arrived in Bermuda a year ago, professional artists Diane Antone and Mimi Games lost no time in becoming active on the local art scene, and declare themselves "very pleased'' with the response of residents and visitors to their work, which has been exhibited in the galleries of the Arts Centre at Dockyard and the Bermuda Society of Arts.

Now the duo have teamed up for their first joint show, entitled Old World -- New World, which opens in the main gallery of the Bermuda Society of Arts at City Hall on Friday.

"We both love to paint, and we hope people will come and see the show,'' Mrs.

Games says. "We love Bermuda, and we have been thrilled that there is so much to paint here.'' In childhood, British born Mrs. Antone, who is the daughter of a Romany gypsy, wanted to be a cartoonist, but she says her "traditional, unimaginative schooling'' crushed this aspiration. Instead, she grew up to become a biology and chemistry teacher.

After emigrating to Canada in 1990, Mrs. Antone began studying painting seriously, and over the years has studied art in such diverse places as Germany, Egypt and England. Today, she has her own studio at home where she works in oils, pastels and watercolours.

Her style is impressionist, and she enjoys trying to capture the essence of her subject, rather than striving for a photographic image. Her work is inspired by the colour theory of Goethe and Rudolf Steiner, and also the philosophy of anthroposophy, which encourages the individual to allow the soul to speak through the use of colour. In this regard she list Turner and Kandinsky as her main sources of inspiration.

Mrs. Antone is the current leader of the International American Women's Club art group, and will organise its forthcoming winter show.

Texas-born Mimi Games knew from childhood that she wanted to be an artist.

Raised in Virginia by a Southern mother and an Assiniboine Indian father, the little girl often modelled for her grandmother, a professional portrait artist.

As a young adult, Mrs. Games studied art history and painting in college, but graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy, and later earned a Master's degree in social work. She then became a licensed clinical social worker in the field of mental health.

It wasn't until years later, when she moved to rural western Massachusetts, that she was able to focus primarily on painting, and subsequently studied at several Massachusetts art schools, as well as in New York, New Mexico and Tuscany. Her work hangs in collections in the US, Luxembourg, Scotland and Bermuda.

Since arriving here, Mrs. Games has found the Island's vibrant colours and clear air an inspiration for en plein air painting, and she works in two distinct styles: oils and pastels for portraits and landscapes, and acrylics for her abstract, conceptual method.

"Before I came to Bermuda I had practically given up realistic work,'' she says, "but the scenery is so lovely that I had to go back to it. It is something that has motivated me.'' Overall, Mrs. Games describes painting as "a spiritual exercise to convey the beauty of everyday life''.

For Old World -- New World the two artists have collected their work into five major areas: French and Italian work, Bermudiana, Work from our Roots, Portraiture, and Still Life. The exhibition will continue through November 15.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and admission is free