Prolific artist and Bermuda resident Don Trousdell opens his latest show in the Edinburgh Gallery at City Hall this evening, and as always the walls will fairly sing with the vibrancy of his work Appropriately entitled, 'Summer Reliefs', the exhibition will consist of a series of contemporary paintings using cut canvas in a layering relief effect.

"The paintings use a mixture of iridescent and metallic colour, which subtly change in appearance with the change of light," Mr. Trousdell said. "The relief effect, along with the play of light on the surfaces of the canvases gives the impression that the paintings are sculpted out of materials other than canvas such as metal, wood or pottery. What I am always trying to present is something a little bit different from last time, and this cut canvas show certainly does that."

Inspiration for the exhibition sprang from the artist's visit to the Mayan ruins in Mexico's Yucatan, and the paintings are derived from nature as well as abstract shapes which he has portrayed on a variety of canvas sizes so that they are suitable for both home and office settings.

"The Mayan reliefs had a very, very interesting three-dimensional look, so what I am trying to do with the paintings in this show is create an image, cut it apart, reassemble it and paint over the top. Then it becomes a painting," Mr. Trousdell says. "I am having fun with the pictures that depict nature, but the abstract paintings have titles which play back to the Mayan ruins."

Since the artist is "a great believer" in making his work accessible to all viewers, he says prices will be "affordable".

Mr. Trousdell is a graduate of the presitigous Pratt Institute in New York, where he majored in design. For 40 years he was a noted designer in the United States, winning over 500 national and international aards, including four New York Art Directors gold medals.

Since settling in Bermuda he has been a frequent exhibitor on the arts scene. His latest exhibits were 'Rock Boys', a series of paintings centred on the prisoners who built the Dockyard, and 'Tinsel Time", a series of Christmas abstracts. He is also the author and illustrator of 'Dockyard Cats', the proceeds of sales of which

go to the Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau.

Tonight's preview opening at the Edinburgh Gallery is from 5.30 p.m. to 8 p.m., when interested viewers will have an opportunity to discuss the paintings with the artist. The exhibition opens to the general public tomorrow, and will continue through July 25. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free. For further information 292-3824.