A member of one of the foremost contemporary miniature art societies in Britain is presenting her work at an exhibition at Carter House in St David’s.

Ellie Moore, an award-winning artist from Cornwall in England and a member of the esteemed Hilliard Society, brings to the museum The Renaissance of Old St David’s.

She has on display 16 original miniature paintings of St David’s pre-1941 taken from old black and white photographs of Southside before the runway was built.

A fundraising event for the St David’s Island Historical Society hosting the exhibition was held on Sunday evening by invitation but the exhibit will remain open for a couple of weeks.

Ms Moore’s works consist of acrylic on board, oil on metals and egg tempera on copper or board.

Carter House is believed to be one of the oldest vernacular farmhouses in Bermuda, circa 1700, surviving largely in its original structure. Today, it is a museum preserving the culture and history of the St David’s Islanders.

Ms Moore said: “St David’s Island is an artists’ dream, combining the extraordinary beauty of Bermuda with a rich history and culture, from long-lost bays to timeless snapshots of life here, painting these scenes of St David’s back into full colour has been a wonderful project.

“Starting from the grainy black and white photographs, I delved into the history of this unique place to decipher the blurry details, trying to recreate the vibrant scenes that faced the photographers nearly a century ago.

“Like a reconstruction in paint, I needed to get the colours and details spot-on, from endemic shore species to types of fishing boat, from the blues of shallow shores to the chimneys of Carter House … then building atmosphere to bring the scenes to life.

“It was a joy to celebrate St David’s past and present through these paintings, particularly the historic hub of Carter House, still very much thriving today as one of the few survivors of old Southside, St David’s.”

The Hilliard Society accepts paintings no larger than 6cm in length and 4.5cms in width for its exhibitions. Ms Moore’s paintings in Bermuda are of varying sizes within this framework.

The society stipulates that entries must be of a high standard of composition and draughtsmanship in any medium and on any material.

Rick Spurling, the president of the St David’s Island Historical Society, said the paintings captured the natural beauty of old St David’s.

He said: “These paintings will resonate with all who pause and dwell upon them. Much of what has been ‘revived’ here is gone for ever but nevertheless the magic and wonder of what once was — liberty in tranquillity and beauty — continues, like a dead star, to shine on, its light still travelling.

“We hope that The Renaissance of Old St David’s will resonate deeply with you through these images and quotes.

“As you circulate through this exhibit, pause and consider each image with the words below it, all descriptive of old St David’s.

“Permit your imagination to flow unrestricted to seek that magical and inspiring moment of wonder.”

Mr Spurling said the exhibition would remain open to the public until November 8 when there would be a fish chowder competition from 5pm at Carter House.

Carter House is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.

• For more information about the exhibition, call 293-5960. Information on Carter House is available athttps://carterhousemuseum.org/