Two new artists will join the ranks of the "Growing'' exhibition and one of the founding members will be "more or less back in the fold'', staging his one-man show in the adjacent smaller gallery when the biennial exhibition opens in the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery at City Hall on Friday.

Participating this year will be Bermuda Society of Arts president Elmer Midgett, Sheilagh Head, and Karen Jensen, who are all making repeat appearances, with Janice Alexander and Karin Bain making their debuts, and finally, Paul Doughty whose one-man show of sculptures and paintings can be seen in the adjacent Edinburgh Gallery.

Believed to be the only group -- and certainly, the oldest -- of its kind on the Island, Growing was formed in 1984. Since then, the membership has fluctuated from year to year. This concept, explains Mr. Midgett is not new.

"Groups like this had their origins in the mediaeval guilds, where groups of people with similar interests joined forces. There have been groups or schools of artists ever since art began. The idea of a group also provides something of a relief for working artists who, basically, work in isolation.'' It is not necessary for the artists to collaborate, but they sometimes get together for al fresco painting expeditions.

"I'm very happy to be back, showing with them again,'' says Mr. Doughty. I respect the concept of Growing and the artists who are part of it, very much.

What they are doing forms a vital part of the working artist's world. My difficulty in the past was whether my work really fitted into their show, but I feel I am ready for a one-man show, and as it will be in the smaller gallery it should form a kind of bridging gap with Growing. My work deals with unfamiliar objects and symbolism as well as abstraction.'' His show will consist of seven paintings and seven sculptures but, he adds somewhat mysteriously, his paintings are more like painted sculptures.

Mr. Doughty, who graduated with honours in sculpture (and also studied painting) from the Parsons School of Design in New York, recalls that, especially in the early days, the Growing gang would get together to critique each other's work.

"I think this is a wonderful thing. There should be more dialogue between working artists. I think there's even a case for doing that in public!'' As a student, he notes, the artist is heavily influenced by all that has gone before (in his case it was Matisse and Picasso who most intrigued him).

"If you are serious about art, you eventually develop your own style and once you have it, you never lose it. I think I've finally reached that stage! It has given me the certainty that I will never stop making art. Artists are born -- you can't make yourself into an artist.'' Mr. Doughty is adamant that no special knowledge is required to appreciate sculpture. "Just look at it, trust your first impression, and enjoy it!'' He believes that Bermuda remains far behind other countries in its lack of sculptures in parks or on public buildings. "People get a great sense of calm by looking at sculptures. They speak a universal language that appeals to the spirit. But there seems to be a lack of imagination here. Why can't we have sculptures in Par-La-Ville Park, for instance? It would also be a great attraction for tourists. They don't have to be these wildly expensive things, either!'' For Janice Alexander, this is not only her first Growing show, but her first art show of any kind. She specialises in the design and making of jewellery, or "works of art that can be worn''. She admits she was astonished when Mr.

Midgett asked her to join their show.

"I'd been helping out as a volunteer at the Harbour Gallery and Elmer recognised my work as an art form.'' The daughter of a watchmaker/jeweller from London, Mrs. Alexander recalls helping him re-string pearls and other beads as a child. "I was into graphic design at school, but it wasn't really until I came to Bermuda that I became inspired to try designing jewellery. I wish I could paint, as I find the beauty of the Island truly inspiring.'' Much of her work reflects her intense interest in nature, and began when she made a dolphin necklace.

Artists' group keeps `growing' From Page 13 "It looked as if it had just jumped out of the water! Elmer said I should carry on and elaborate on that nature theme. He and Sheilagh Head have been so kind and full of encouragement -- in fact, so has the whole Society of Arts have urged me to continue experimenting.'' She says her work was "very conservative'' when she first began, "but I found that I was growing! I like to experiment, to make things that I thought people would only wear once in a blue moon. Now I'm finding out that they're wearing them all the time.'' Mrs. Alexander admits that not everyone considers her work as legitimate art, which she feels, is a shame. "I think art is whatever is pleasing to the eye and, most important, something that has been created from scratch!'' Although Belgian-born Karin Bain has held a joint show at the Harbour Gallery, this will be her first appearance with the Growing group.

After obtaining an honours degree in Cardiff, Wales, she lectured in England and developed her career in printmaking and textile design. She is presently the designer at Bermuda's Island Pottery. In this show, she will be exhibiting her distinctive silk paintings and ceramics.

Kris Jensen, who describes herself as a self-taught artist, is well-known as a scientific illustrator who worked on Wolfgang Sterrer's publications for the Biological Station, the Bermuda Aquarium and on the Smithsonian's Amazon rainforest project in Peru. This will be her third Growing show, having been invited to participate in "Lightworks'' in 1977, which was the forerunner of the Growing group.

Her work will include small watercolour studies and some larger oils. "I'm still growing -- and trying to find myself!'' she exclaims. "But I've had a lot of fun with this show and I can't wait for the next one!'' Sheilagh Head needs little introduction. One of Bermuda's leading artists, a supreme colourist who paints "the spirit of Bermuda'', she obtained degrees from Manchester College of Art and the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Perugia, Italy. One of the founder members of Growing, she feels that name is especially appropriate since "all artists have to grow and continue to develop their art. No one ever reaches a plateau where they can rest -- we are all eternal students who continue to experiment.'' True to her word, she has recently participated in master classes at the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Another founding member, Elmer Midgett, is often described as an artist's artist who paints in a singularly virtuosic style. Often attracted by the apparently mundane, he is increasingly fascinated -- as are many artists who paint here -- by the quality of Bermuda's light.

He obtained a B.A. in art from Virginia Wesleyan College and has also studied at the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts. In 1993, two of his works were selected from thousands of submissions for inclusion in the famous Virginia Boardwalk Show which attracts artists from all over the US.

Growing opens to the public in the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery on Saturday, November 4.