Two artists who enjoy painting together is the genesis of a new exhibition opening at the Edinburgh Gallery inCity Hall tomorrow.

Shirley James and Katherine Zuill had known each other for years as casual acquaintances. Whenever they met they exchanged pleasantries, and each time they parted Mrs. Zuill vowed to get to know her friend better.

Finally, a few years ago she decided 'enough of the talk and on with the show'.

With their families grown and their husbands retired, the two women decided it was time to pursue something for themselves, and so began their artistic friendship.

Every Monday morning they meet in the studio of Mrs. Zuill's Warwick home for a few hours, where Mrs. James works in charcoal, pastels and oils, and her friend paints in oils.

The fact that three studio walls are glass and afford uninterrupted woodland views is a definite plus.

"The light is superb," Mrs. ZuilI says.

While Mrs. James also has a studio in her home, her Monday sessions with her friend provide a pleasant highlight in an otherwise busy week, and something to be looked forward to.

She arrives with all her own equipment and quickly settles down to work.

There is no common subject; each artist pursues whatever she desires.

Hard as it may be for some men to believe, the women are not big chatters. In fact, Mrs. James says: "We don't know each other very well but we are very, very compatible. Our love of art is a bond between us."

They do, however, break away from their easels occasionally to "critique" each other's work. There is no malice or envy. Just a simple "What do you think of this?" or "How can I make it better?" approach.

"We paint for companionship, fun and encouragement," Mrs. Zuill says.

"Shirley is a beautiful spirit, very calming."

Each artist has her favourite subjects. In Mrs. James' case, these range from landscapes to nudes.

"My landscapes are basically of Nova Scotia, where I was born and raised. I also love doing figures and faces, so I have a couple of charcoal drawings of a mother and child, and a couple of nudes just for controversy. I also do still lifes - in fact, I do a little bit of everything, but I like faces and figures the most," she says.

Mrs. Zuill also enjoys painting landscapes, which she formulates in her mind based on photographs and pictures of the many places she has visited abroad, including Colorado, Massachusetts and Provence, France. Her favourite subjects, however, are flowers and still lifes. Art is in her genes. As a child she was always drawing something. She studied art, first in school, and later at the Rhode Island School of Design.

"Then I got married and art went by the wayside until four years ago," she says. "I have been an interior designer for 36 years and I also raised my children." In fact, her daughter is a successful artist who studied in France. She has exhibited in Bermuda, and regularly exhibits in the US where she lives. Mrs. Zuill also had an aunt who was an artist, and she recalls that her father moved to Bermuda in 1955 because "he desperately wanted to be an artist".

So a few years ago she resolved to put off no longer fulfilling her lifelong desire to be an artist. She declared that she would not only make the time to indulge her passion, but also to try a new medium.

"I had done everything else under the sun, but oil was always the medium I wanted to work in and I had never done it," Mrs. Zuill says."I love the feel of it. It is my total, consuming passion - the greatest thing since sneakers, and all I want to do. I will paint all weekend, or until I can't see any more."

Mrs. James is equally enthusiastic.

"Whenever there is an empty space of time I am in my studio," she says. "I never thought that I would be so consumed by one thing. In fact, I never could sit still because I was always doing so many things. Now I can stand (at the easel) for eight hours straight."

The women's enthusiasm for their art has not, however, come at the expense of their retired spouses. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"We have total support from our husbands towards our painting, which helps," Mrs. James assures.

"In fact, a lot of people our age are so jealous that we have this," Mrs. Zuill adds. "I can't wait to find more schools and places to go. I am really addicted."

Being addicted and enthusiastic is one thing, and of course practice makes perfect, but not every artist winds up with their own exhibition at City Hall. How these two did arose out of a casual discussion.

The more they painted the better their work became, until one day, Mrs. Zuill turned to her fellow artist and said: "I think we're pretty good. We should have an exhibition of our work."

Thus the deed was done, and tomorrow marks their first exhibition together. They are, however, not neophyte exhibitors, having shown in various local galleries over the years.

Both artists are optimistic that their first show together will be well received, and although they are too modest to flat-out admit it, there is a quiet confidence that their skills have gone beyond the "Sunday painter syndrome". Nonetheless, Mrs. James confesses that "going public" is "like walking down Front Street naked".

"Painting is like baring your soul, and having an exhibition is like walking down Front Street naked because you are exposing the public to your work," she says. "Hopefully they will appreciate what we are trying to portray: the beauty in life."

The untitled show will continue through November 16. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Admission is free. For further information (295-3824.