The link between the Five Women invited to take part in the latest exhibition at Dockyard is that they are all relative newcomers to Bermuda's art scene. In supporting their efforts, the Arts Centre is again confirming its commitment to exposing and encouraging new talent. And, true to form, they have selected a group whose work certainly bears further examination. Perhaps it is the pervasive feminine touch, but this seems an unusually cheerful and vibrant show that should have plenty of popular appeal.

Ann Proctor started painting only three years ago, but this is in no way apparent in the technical execution of her watercolour flower paintings.

Indeed, she belongs to that handful of artists whose work has bloomed suddenly, and almost overnight, seemingly without the years of gradual progress that characterises most beginners.

The detail and realism of her flowers and plants would categorise them as botanical paintings were it not for her ability to breathe life into every leaf and petal. The delicacy of her sweet-peas, the pendulous drooping loquats, the waxy lustre of white magnolias also reveal an inborn sense of colour.

Art teacher Lisa Quinn has also chosen watercolour for her exhibits. This she uses to bold effect in her two larger-than-life studies of morning glories, set amidst a riot of greenery. Two smaller paintings of Bermuda cottages, brushed in black paint, suggest that she is as concerned with form as with colour. Both come together in her depiction of the Old Glasgow Lodge, a strong composition where the deep pink walls and dark shutters of a cottage are brushed by a frame of branches. Her floral studies of hibiscus and the ubiquitous morning glory are particularly sensitive.

Barbara Chenault, who arrived in Bermuda just two years ago, was the recipient of the President's Award at the Society of Arts' winter show. Although she works primarily in watercolour her recent foray into oils already suggests a natural ability in this medium, with beautifully textured effects, especially in her treatment of foliage and flowers. Amongst her watercolours there are some arresting scenes of St. George's in which she captures the shadowy charm of the narrow alley-ways with a brush that uses economy of line to maximum effect.

Beach Bums, which shows a back view of a couple, holding hands and relaxing in traditional wooden beach chairs at the water's edge is a delightful picture that certainly catches the eye -- so rare are life compositions these days.

More, please! Valerie Tennent is the only exhibitor in this show who includes a work that is not Bermudian in theme. The impressionistic Field of Poppies was painted in England and, like her oil study of Water Lilies at City Hall, speaks of the influence of the art of Monet.

Her attempts to capture Bermuda's seas still elude her, although her view of Church Bay, where the tall trees form a screen against the distant water below does evoke rather well the charm of this bay -- now, incidentally, the only view that does retain a wild aura since the asphalt brigade moved in and transformed this artists' mecca into an urban park. Her most successful paintings are the still life studies of richly brushed flowers and her View from Artist's Garden, a tangled profusion of nasturtiums and wild flowers, that vividly conveys Bermuda's summer exuberance.

Peggy Peniston-Berk concentrates on watercolour, apart from her studies of Bermuda fish, where she adds acrylic to heighten colour effect. Most striking is her use of vibrant colour and the sense of movement in her red and purple bougainvillea. And while the perspective is sometimes suspect, her portrayal of old Bermuda buildings reflects her affinity with their unique architectural aspect. The Old Villa, in particular, is full of promise.

As Mrs. Maurine Cooper commented when she opened this show, the wealth of artistic talent on this Island is remarkable for so small a community -- and it increases all the time.

PATRICIA CALNAN.

MRS. LEWIS'S MAGNOLIAS -- That's the title of this watercolour by Ann Proctor, one of the artists featured in the Five Women exhibition at Dockyard.