A pair of London art teachers are coming to the Island to teach ancient techniques with Masterworks next month.

Caroline Barlow and Richard Tait run Arts For All, a UK charity based in Shoreditch, East London, which focuses on inner city children.

They arrive in Bermuda on April 1 and will carry out classes for both children and adults until April 10.

Ms Barlow and Mr. Tait met Tom Butterfield and Elise Outerbridge at the opening night of the ?Painters in Paradise? exhibition, which was held in November, 2004, at the Guildhall in London.

After the opening night Ms Barlow and Mr. Tait bought Arts For All members and XL Europe staff to the Guildhall to paint their interpretations of the Bermuda scenes.

Mr. Butterfield said the art done by the members will be on display at the Masterworks Gallery, in the Botanical Gardens. Mr. Butterfield said Arts For All teach inner city kids about the value of art.

?They gain confidence through art,? he said, ?And they learn that art heals and it helps.

?For some inner city kids, it is their saviour, some don?t have the structure of art in a formal education, but somehow by getting their visuals down on a piece of paper or down on canvas gives them a sense of self worth.

?It was really interesting how the kids interpreted Bermuda, as they had never been here.?

Mr. Butterfield was very intrigued by what he had seen and wanted to work with the team in some capacity.

?But at the time, we really didn?t have any idea of how,? he said. ?When the show was up they took some of the XL employees down to look at the Bermuda work that was in London to do their own interpretations.

?Plus they took their kids to the exhibition and we are going to do a show here in April with the artwork that came out of the London show. It should be some pretty cool stuff.

?They are going to come out here for ten days and work with the kids and we have lots of programmes lined up.

?We want to put the emphasis on the kids, as some will be on their Easter breaks, although there will be some adult classes as well.? Mr. Butterfield is hoping to find someone who will continue the Arts For All work.

?We are also trying to find a teacher or two to learn some of these skills, so that it is passed on and we can carry the work on here on the Island.? he said.

Mrs. Outerbridge pointed out that the person who carries on the work doesn?t necessarily have to be a teacher.

Mrs. Outerbridge said one of the Arts For All painters who painted scenes from Bermuda at the Guildhall was a woman who is of Iraqi and Italian heritage.

She was living in a shelter in London when the Charity found her.

?She had never painted before,? she said, ?And their whole programme is about is bringing kids/people to the realisation that they can be creative.?

The Charity also put out a book on the inner city children?s interpretations of London.

?Now this is a book they put out and we?d like to someday do the same thing for Bermudian children,? she said.

?Eventually I think children and students love to see things put together professionally,? she said, ?They don?t like it to look like kid art stuck to the refrigerator.

?Something like this obviously made its way to (Prime Minister) Tony Blair and realised the importance and the self confidence that a publication like this meant to them.?

Mrs. Outerbridge invited everyone to come along to the classes and get involved.

?I see it more then just youth education,? she said. ?I always have a problem when it is thought that education is just for the youth.?

Mr. Butterfield added that all classes are free, but there will be a cut off in numbers, so early registration was required.

Mrs. Outerbridge added that the programme was more open ended.

?It is not like ?this is an art class?, it is a lot freer,? she said.

?It is more toward exposing people?s creativity, because all of us have different degrees of artistic ability and even if it is artistic observation and not creating ? because we need people who appreciate art as well.?

Funding for the Arts For All project at the Masterworks Foundation came from the Ross Blackie Talbot Fund, another charity that encourages exploring the arts for all.

?They are specifically interested in youth education,? said Mrs. Outerbridge. ?And Clem Talbot is very concerned that the programme is across the board and not just for specific people. ?I think it is one of those programmes that after they leave, it will live on for the Ross Blackie Talbot Fund and Arts for All, which makes it more compelling.

?I think Bermuda is very fortunate that they are coming out here.?

Of their initial meeting, Mrs. Outerbridge said: ?It was as if we were divided at birth.

?Because they were as excited about what they were doing as we were. It was pretty special and they had a lot of kids in the Guildhall.

?They came to the opening and there were a zillion people and Tom met them.

?They had that kind of energy and enthusiasm ? no fear ? just do it!?

Ms Barlow had spent most of her working life taking care of children by working as a nanny.

She said about 16 years ago she became involved in community art projects and later set up Community Creative Centre programme. ?I now run Arts for All with Richard Tait and although successful, we remain a small grassroots organisation with the sole aim of helping and serving the people in our local community,? she said.

Mr. Tait, a successful artist, said art had always been his ?driving force?.

After studying fine art, he worked from his studio in the artist?s quarter of London?s East End.

Mr. Tait is mainly known for his cityscapes, but he also does portraits. ?It was through an exhibition in my building that I met Caroline Barlow,? he said.

?Having always wanted to share my work and enthusiasm with young people, I was able to realise this dream gradually by joining the Arts For All team.?

Mrs. Outerbridge added that the pair also are planning a mural, which will be done by both kids and adults.

?It is a couple of days when the kids aren?t on the Gameboy or the Play Station,? she said, ?Just getting out there and doing something and using the other part of their brain.

?I?m not against the Play Station, but I find in families nowadays, there is one kid up in their bedroom on the computer and some families just sit around on their laptops talking to people outside of the family.?

Amongst other classes that the Arts For All will offer, there will be a felt making class.

?It will be a great opportunity to learn this ancient craft,? said Ms Barlow.

?Felt making is one of the main activities that we do with Arts for All and this is because of its vibrant colour, versatility and flexibility. It is also easy for all ages and can be used in many different ways. We will teach them how to make a scarf and 3D felt insects.?

Ms Barlow said they will also give an introductory talk about arts for all and how it started, why they run it, who it is for, and what the vision is for the future.

?We will be running an adult class for adults and the planned mediums are watercolours and acrylics on canvas and students can choose, which medium they want to work in,? she said.

?There will also be a life drawing class for adults of all abilities and we are hoping to have a live model for the class.

?The Junior Art Club is for kids aged between five to ten years old and they will be making a musical instrument during the session.?

Arts For All runs its own Kaleidoscope Club, which is a multi-media art club for young people aged eight to 16.

?We do painting, portrait drawing, work with clay and hama beads,? said Ms Barlow.

Arts For All are also planning to create a wall hanging and Ms Barlow said: ?The size of it will depend on how many people come along to the classes.?

There will also be a session on making simple mirrors and colourful clocks.

Ms Barlow added Arts For All is a community creative centre, and as the name suggests everyone is welcome.

?But the majority of our members are from disadvantaged backgrounds,? said Mr. Tait and Ms Barlow. ?We encourage those with little experience or belief in their own creativity to have a go, and aim to build confidence through achievement. From the first time we saw the ?Painters in Paradise? exhibition we were inspired to get involved. We met Tom Butterfield, who was also enthusiastic about the idea of us bringing local people to see the wonderful show.

?During the course of the exhibition we worked with a number of varied groups and it has been a wonderful experience. At each session we would go down into the gallery and encourage the group of approximately ten people per session, to spend time looking at the work, and enjoying the variety and depth of the paintings. Then each person selected a painting, set up an easel or took a drawing board, collected the materials they wanted to use, and started to draw or paint.?

Ms Barlow said Mr. Tait was on hand and available to anyone feeling nervous or a bit lost.

?He guided and supported them until you could see their confidence growing,? she said.

?The children who took part were amazing. Once they had chosen a painting and settled into their work, they were mesmerised by it and really enjoyed the experience of working in a gallery.

?They were aged between seven to 13, and when you see the paintings, I know you will be impressed.? For more information on the Arts For All programme and the exhibition, which opens on April 5, call 236-2950.