Lashings of rich velvet colours, dense applications of oil and watercolour, caricatured forms and bold images dazzled viewers last Sunday evening at the opening of the 'Botanicals' Exhibition at The Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard. Artists Don Trousdell, Daniel DeSilva, Ann Proctor, Maria Evers-Smith, Kok Wan Lee and Tracy Williams produced a contrasting cocktail of work for this exotic exhibition.

Whenever you think of still life paintings of flowers and plants, the work of Van Gogh and his sunflowers springs to mind. His strong use of oils amplifies the fragrant character of nature's beauty, his application of vibrant colour acting as a catalyst for his own emotional release.

He was particularly inspired by the burning sunshine in Arles in the south of France, and demonstrated the power of different light using sulphur and lilacs, glistening citrons and yellows to intensify his dramatic, fiery pieces.

Here in Bermuda the brilliant rays of sunshine cast an almost blinding golden dance of light on the Island's scenery; an electrifying glow, which has undoubtedly inspired the artists in Bermuda's 'Botanicals' exhibition to make full use of lemon yellows, umber and sulphurs to maximum effect. The whole gallery was literally bathed in a sea of iridescent golden tones and contrasts.

It was intriguing to attend an exhibition where the exhibitors had focused on the attributes of a single flower or leaf, rather than concentrating on a garden or landscape as a whole entity.

One of the most eye-catching pieces was 'Garden Gem' by Don Trousdell. 'Garden Gem' holds some similarities to Magritte's 'The Tomb of the Wrestlers'. In Magritte's work a blossoming, garish red rose appears to burst forth from the canvas to reveal an over-dimensional, erotic, bold and sensuous image. Similarly, Trousdell has entertained this majestic use of subject matter. His bright candy pink flower smothers the canvas, demanding your attention. It is slightly raised, producing an overall 3D effect.

Using the natural colours of nature Mr. Trousdell exaggerates and caricatures his pieces, by emphasising specific parts of the flower and the colour. The petals and stamen are enlarged and gold is added, highlighting the petals, thus captivating the viewer. The bold saturation of colour drawers the eye towards the middle of the piece where dainty dashes of yellows and pinks mingle with light flecks of blue and mauve. He takes you into a Hans Andersen fairy tale jaunt into this eccentric, imperial image and indulges the viewers' minds with the kind of childlike scenery conjured up by Lewis Carroll in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. Mr. Trousdell literally takes his spectators on a very "curious" journey.

Mr. Trousdell successfully blends a number of various techniques and surreal ideas together. His exhibits are all very different mixed media works, only united in the sense that they have a Peter Pan charm about them; I half expected Tinkerbell to swish through the air leaving a blazing trail of fairy dust behind her as she swoops in to land on one of these masterpieces.

'Chrysalis' is part of a collection of three paintings. It portrays an assorted mix of fantasy butterflies fluttering out of a decorative vase to form an oriental spray. This work boasts a beautiful use of colour. The rusty greys, steel blues and light pinks of the plant are neutralised by the clutter of tightly clustered butterflies, which have a rugged, oil pastel quality to their powdery wings. Metallic paint is used to heighten the whole glittery sheen of these creatures and this contrasts with the smoothly painted Red Admiral's butterfly wing depicted on the side of the blood red vase. Combining rich oranges and blues looks stunning, completing this absorbing oriental spray.

Realist painter Tracy Williams favours watercolours, depicting delicate life studies of finely shaded flowers. Her images have a photographic quality to them. In 'Pink Poppy' she cleverly uses blurred greens for the background, contrasting with the lively, sharper hues of the flower in the foreground, providing the illusion of a misty romantic photograph. This is exquisite work and through careful use of her palate, the aqueous, weaker look of the watercolour medium is dispensed with, being replaced with a confident, deeper, more forthright chorus of shades.

Ann Proctor is another realist painter and her work is a kind of kindred sprit to the watercolours of Tracy Williams. Her watercolour botanical life studies are the most detailed in this exhibition. 'Sleeping Hibiscus', 'Scarlet Cordia', 'Magnolia' 'Verbena' and 'Plumbago' looked so real you felt as though you could pick them from the wall. Her use of colour was much more sensitive in comparison with any other work in the gallery and these pieces provided an emphatic glimpse into realism at its finest.

Impressionist artist, Maria Evers-Smith uses oil on canvas to convey a sense depth, frivolity and harmony. By applying large amounts of glossy rich colour, contrast and light are created. Layers of luscious hues are blended together to create a milky dreamlike look. Her shapes are rounded and luminous colours intertwine, inducing concordant variations between the sweeping, circular contours.

Ms Evers-Smith uses a bold, rugged application of paint, which is heavily applied to the canvas in a Renoir-like style in which layer upon layer of bountiful colour, gives the illusion of flowers bursting forth from the canvas.

Ms Evers-Smith's piece entitled 'Frangipani' was a fresh, lively composition. The buttery look of the petals gleamed with tints of citrine, and very light purples and pinks created light shadowing. The knobbly stalks were in direct antithesis to the smooth, silky look of the flower. Off set against a dark, green background, this really demonstrated the talent of the artist. It was interesting to see this amount of spirit and life in such a captivating exhibition.

Daniel DeSilva's approach was invigorating and adventurous. Taking palm leaves as his subject matter, he explores symmetry and lines through acrylics. Daniel's pictures have an architectural flavour to them. Born in Bermuda, Daniel studied illustration and design at the Ontario College of Art, continuing his studies in Fine Art and Art Education at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

'Sun Palms', 'Heart of Palm', 'Leaves' and 'Sunlight' all examine different facets of a palm leaf. He uses blocks of various colours. Bold, symmetrical lines, give the impression of razor sharp edges to the leaves. The idea of keeping the colour of the sky constant and using different shades of green within the palm leaves works really well. Essentially he varies the shading very slightly to help accentuate his lines.

In 'Bermudiana', three pieces are hung side by side. They each demonstrate a different view of the surface of the leaf. The lines on these, although still symmetrical, are much softer and after taking a few minutes to observe the shapes, colours and forms, the paintings evoke the same tranquil effects on the senses as watching a waterfall. Dark greens, mint green and yellows are balanced with soft caramels, darker browns and maroons. The eye wanders from the wavy, soft, fluid effect of one painting to the much sterner effect of another.

Malaysian born Kok Wan Lee has made the most original use of medium and colour. In his most endearing series of pieces, 'Growing' and 'Blooming', he thickens watercolours to create a dense texture on the canvas. The spherical shapes reminded me of gazing at a lava lamp, watching mysterious blobs of voluptuous, globular bubbles soaked in light, drifting and shimmering in the clear liquid.

Kok Wan Lee originally trained as a chef and joined the Bermuda College Arts programme where he began painting in 1999. Since then he has appeared in numerous exhibitions throughout Bermuda.

FIONA LISTER

The 'Botanicals' Exhibition continues until October 11.