It's not surprising that a Canadian artist of Russian-Polish extraction might see Bermuda from a different perspective to resident painters.

That's not to say -- like many painters be they residents or not -- von Walter seems enchanted by Bermuda's natural warmth.

As a regular visitor who declares her admiration for Bermuda -- the word `beautiful' crops up in von Walter's statement printed in this show's programme -- it comes as no surprise to that her canvasses are bursting with light and energy.

But she also hints she might just believe that we who live here take it all for granted.

"I hope that visitors to the exhibition will share my admiration... and perhaps take a closer appreciating look at this beautiful land,'' she writes.

Certainly von Walter paints in a bright, energetic style that hits the viewer between the eyes.

Painting in acrylics, she seems to begin most of her canvasses by laying down a pink wash which resonates through the subsequent layers of pigment, giving her work a luminous glow. This is particularly evident in such paintings as `Before Sunset'.

But unlike so many artists working here, particularly visiting ones, von Walter doesn't seem to be willing to bow down to the great God that is nature.

With the exception of `Somerset Fragment' nature always takes a back seat or is not even seen at all.

Figures feature as the focal point in many of von Walter's works, but not in any conventional sense. Alarmingly, her characters are always seen at best in profile but usually from behind or even occasionally walking away and out of the canvas.

As a result, there's a sense of alienation in this collection of paintings.

Although von Walter claims that some of the exhibits are depictions of friends and also makes references to "real people'' and "another friendly encounter'' in her programme, one has a feeling of being shut out.

As spectators, we are not privy to the thoughts and conversations that her figures are engaged in - they have turned their backs on us.

Could she possibly be making another point -- that the warmth of Bermuda's atmosphere isn't quite so evident in the character of this Island's people? Rather than receiving a warm welcome, do Bermuda's visitors feel they're getting the cold shoulder? Surely not? Gareth Finighan Johnny Barnes : One of 16 acrylics on display at the Masterworks Gallery by artist Sonia von Walter.