Autumn Members' Show -Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery - City Hall -- until October 15.

The brilliant colours of summer beckon in this Autumn show -- traditionally the weakest of the four seasonal exhibitions -- but, on this occasion, providing one of the strongest offerings in some time.

It has been superbly hung, with colour schematics taking precedence over all else. While the decision to mix up the work of individuals can sometimes detract from the overall impact of a particular artist, and certainly makes life no easier for the reviewer, it is also refreshing to see an exhibit staged purely for visual effect. The 85 works selected were juried by the executive committee, often maligned, but in this case, surely erring on the side of kindness; an already good show could have been excellent if a further 20 or so works had been omitted.

As it is, we end up with the familiar situation wherein the work of our few professional artists proves to be far removed from those at the bottom of the heap; most, however, fall somewhere in the middle, often showing steady technical improvement and occasionally revealing that elusive spark of originality or sense of emotional honesty that sets a work apart from the `also rans'.

While obviously one of the objectives of any art society is to encourage anyone and everyone who actually picks up a paintbrush, there seems to be a danger of sometimes taking our more accomplished artists for granted. One of the definitions of professionalism is the ability to turn out work that is consistently good but the downside of this, of course, is that it often places the reviewer in the unenviable position of trying to find something new to say about that person's art. One imagines, for example, that even Monet's water lilies, lovely as they are, would eventually tax the ingenuity of any wordsmith. Now that the Bermuda Society of Arts seems to be fielding a higher ratio of accomplished artists than probably at any time in its history (several of them being far more talented than some of those who are included in the Masterworks collection, for instance), this may be the moment to consider the idea of recognising that professionalism within the Society by creating certain artists as `masters' (as with the Copley Society of Boston), or `acamedicians' (as with the Royal Academy in London).

Much of the best work in this show focuses on flowers, the biggest surprise being the glorious sense of colour attained by Rosemary Glynn, relatively new on the art scene, but already revealing, also, a fine eye for composition.

Then there is the almost symphonic panorama of flowers from Sheilagh Head -- painted in Monet's garden, and a real tour de force of purples, pinks, and lavenders shot with gold. The unerring eye of Ann Proctor is turned this time to the delicate fronds of pink Tacoma and the lush sheen of apples ripening on a Vermont bough. Helen Daniel, too, brings her usual sense of completeness on a small scale with her delightful study of pink geraniums peeping out of a row of green garden pots. There are colourful offerings, too, from Valerie Tennent with her Pearonies and Delphiniums and the O'Keeffe-like Iris of Kris Jensen and Tracy Williams' stylised Bird of Paradise.

Of the `regulars', Diana Tetlow is storming back to centre stage with a series of pastels that demonstrate her consummate professionalism and astonishing versatility: as a portraitist she has few, if any, equals now -- a point underlined by her picture of `Charlie', and a delightful portrait of a lioness and her cub where the sleepy, yet ever-watchful yellow eyes of the mother linger in the memory. She reminds us of her talent for figure drawing with a beautifully realised, sepia-toned `Nude Without a Violin'. Best of all, however, is her study of sweet peas -- a profusion of jewel-like reds and pinks dancing across the paper.

Graham Foster continues to fascinate as he paints his way -- with remarkable skill -- through most of the genre in art history; this time around, we are into the primitivism of Rousseau, with his view of Eden where Adam and Eve stride through a jungle peopled with exotic flora and fauna, and the fun-filled world of Magritte in Predatory Pantomime, a glorious concoction of mean-looking marlins being carted along the ocean bed of a brilliant turquoise sea on a wheeled contraption while a personified sun beams over the bizarre proceedings. His talent is a sure thing but there is an increasing desire now for the real Mr. Foster to stand up.

Brittany Wivell's mixed media depiction of a cove reveals a fine feeling for perspective and shadows when viewed from a distance but seems rather lost in its tightly matted frame.

There is a new mood in Diana Amos's oils -- her large view of the Lower Ferry, seen through a haze of sunlit grasses is all serenity, as is her delightful smaller study of Grape Bay, where the movement of the water washing over the pale sands captures a quite different sense of light. Other works which deserve more than a glance in this better than usual show are Bob Berr's seascape where painterly clouds hover ominously over a choppy sea, the cheerful originality of Willie Collieson's Ding Dong Bell, once again confirming his position as Bermuda's premier `objet trouve' artist, the powerful colours of Valerie Weddup's abstract Winter Storm, Jon Mills' English townscapes which, if a little tight, still convey a sense of place, Charles Zuill's earth and acrylic interpretation of a Grotto by the Sea and Brian Simmons' untutored but evocative view of cottages nestling below a bank, Chesley Trott's bronze studies of lively figures inspired by plant materials, and Vaughan Evans' mastery of pastels in his vibrant Octagonal Chapel on Nonsuch Island.

The standards attained by far more than the artists mentioned briefly here in this show augur well for the Society's new Harbour Gallery in Falconer House on Pitt's Bay Road, which opens next Friday, October 14 (preview for members on October 13). They should get off to a flying start with the watercolours of Chris Marson as the first featured show.

PATRICIA CALNAN ART ON VIEW -- A plethora of paintings takes pride of place at City Hall.

FOSTER FRAMED -- This Graham Foster offering is among 85 paintings by Bermuda artists currently on display at City Hall.