depiction of them in a new show at City Hall.

`The Whales of Randy Puckett' exhibition is a collection of 45 bronze sculpture of whales by the American sculptor. Almost every kind is displayed, from humpbacks and orcas to bottlenose dolphins and belugas. Poses depict them at play, feeding, on the move and raising young.

One onlooker at the exhibit, which officially opened yesterday, said the most amazing thing about the exhibit is the variety of colours the bronze sculptures are given.

When asked why he has committed his artistic life to whales, Mr. Puckett said: "Because they are addictive''.

A native of Monterrey, California, Mr. Puckett found his passion for whales carving them for his son.

But he turned it into a commercial plus after a neighbour asked to buy one of the wooden whales he had carved.

Mr. Puckett's sculptures, which take from one to six months to make, are not all a flash of dorsal fins. He said to "keep honest'', he tries to work with whales and whale researchers.

He is a partner in the Foundation Gallery in Lahaina on the island of Maui and he donates a percentage of all his sales to conservation organisations.

Mr. Puckett said Lahaima, Hawaii is one of the best places in the world to observe whales. Humpback whales go there for long periods of time to breed and give birth.

Many of the sculptures reflect his interest in whales and their family interaction. One sculpture called `The Learning Curve' features three adult humpbacks and a baby. Their bodies spiral gently in a curve as they teach a young calf how to entrap small fish with bubbles. The fishing technique is called bubble net feeding.

"I hope people who see the exhibit also consider it in terms of the environment that they live in,'' said Mr. Puckett, whose sculptures are recognised around the world. Some of his life-size works -- they can be dozens of feet long -- hang from the ceilings of zoos and aquariums.

Mr. Bill Scott, a member of the Bermuda Zoological Society and the Bermuda Society of Arts -- co-sponsors of the show -- asked Mr. Puckett to bring his sculptures to Bermuda.

STORM RIDER -- Mr. Randy Puckett with his dolphin sculpture,`Storm Rider', one of 43 on show at City Hall.