A new exhibition of work by professional photographer Antoine Hunt was officially opened at the Elliot Gallery on 27 Jubilee Road in Devonshire last evening.

Those who know Mr. Hunt will be familiar with his continuing search for the ideal partnership of art and literature, and nowhere is this search more evident than in his professional photography and writing.

His recent poem, 'Veranalis Aequinoctium-Vernal Equinox', which he believes "glorifies the beauty of common plants and celebrates the beauty of each day", formed the inspiration and basis for his new body of work: a collection of cyanoprints (photographs), which he has also named 'Veranalis Aequinoctium-Vernal Equinox'.

"The subjects are the humble wayside plants which we usually overlook for the more flamboyant and colourful specimens that often overwhelm our visual and olfactory senses," Mr. Hunt says. "I want to lead the viewer on a walk through the seasons with this exhibit."

Cyanotypes are distinctive, but not photographs in the traditional sense. The cyanotype (blue print) was an early photographic printing process used for the first photographically illustrated books in the early 1840s. The images are always blue, although a certain amount of toning is possible. Paper is coated with the blueprint solution and allowed to dry before exposure. Typical exposure times in ultra violet light for an hour, after which the paper is simply washed well and then dried. The end result is a delicate yet vibrant, 'colourful' print.

"I usually do things with pinhole photography, but these are cameraless images," Mr. Hunt says of his latest body of work. Some are printed in a large scale – 30 inches by 45 inches – a format which allows the viewer to appreciate the minute details generally lost when shown in a smaller size.

The collection, which Mr. Hunt has been working on for the past nine months or so due to the seasonal nature of the plants, presents the observer with a new viewpoint of the wild weeds of the vernal equinox, whose impact, vibrancy and luminous tones suggest that he has established a new league for botanicals.

The exhibition continues through September 3. For gallery hours and further information see the Bermuda Calendar or 236-5963 or e-mail kaleidoscopeartsfoundation@logic.bm.