"Artful Organics" is a craft exhibition currently being held in the Elliot Gallery at the Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation. The exhibiting artists are: Gale Bellew, Ronnie Chameau, Gail Graham, Ronnie Lopes, and Bob Patterson. Altogether, there is a considerable variety of approaches to craft making, but most are involved with fibre arts of some kind. Most of the materials are from natural sources, most from Bermuda, such as palm material, wood, seeds etc.

I confess to having a weakness for baskets and during the Kaleidoscope Art Foundation's first Fibre Festival in 2007, I finally managed to take a workshop in basket making. Although the workshop was a good one, all the materials used were imported, but while I was taking it, I looked around and realised that there are all kinds of natural materials here in Bermuda that is free for the taking, that is suitable for making baskets. It is good to see an exhibition that makes use of some of our natural resources.

Of special note in this present show are the baskets by Ronnie Chameau and all her materials are from local sources. She uses palm fronds, palm cloth, palm flowers, pandanus leaves and vines of vary kinds. Her baskets are also of varying sizes, some with handles made of small tree branches and sticks. One jarring note, however, is when she occasionally spray paints her baskets with some kind of metallic paint. I much prefer the materials in their natural state.

Gale Bellew is exhibiting her hair lock creations on hand-made paper. This is a unique art form that she apparently invented. I am told that much of the hair she uses is Llama, which, of course, is not from a local source. I think she is at her best when she uses the hair to create what appears to be grasses and ferns.

Ronnie Lopes uses tree branches and stumps to produce a line of rustic furniture, especially benches and tables, which would be most suitable in a garden setting. I understand his desire to seal the wood with some kind of sealant, however, the high gloss finish that he uses, is unfortunate. I think that something with more mat would increase the appeal and allow the natural beauty of the wood to be seen more effectively.

Gail Graham's lace is certainly intriguing and if you have ever had opportunity to watch lace-making, you will be intrigued by all the many threads and the attached bobbins. I wonder just how she manages to keep track of all the complex interlacing threads, but the end result is magical. I also found her Bargello needlepoint appealing.

Bob Patterson's jewellery is made of seeds, such as the horse-eye sea bean. The seeds are finished to a high gloss, which in this instance, seems most suitable. Having just written that I found Ronnie Lopes' gloss finish distracting, why do I then find the gloss of Patterson jewellery attractive? I think it has something to do with the size of the seeds, which is much smaller than the Lopes' furniture. At any rate, in this case, it seems to be very effective and just points out that in art not much is absolute.

The overall exhibition, although showing much good work, is somewhat spoiled by over-crowding. Furthermore, not everything is of the same skill and quality, some elimination, therefore, would have been advantageous. All the same, it is good to see a show that utilises local materials. That is commendable.

The exhibition, which opened on March 19, closes on March 28. It is a show of short duration. There is not much time left to see it, but those who do make the effort, will find more than enough to see and enjoy.