Spotlight on Homer at BNG today

Winslow Homer is the subject of today's lunchtime video presentation at the Bermuda National Gallery.

Entitled `Winslow Homer: The Nature of the Artist', it focuses on the American painter's art from his early illustrations of the Civil War, his picturesque and charming scenes in the country and at the shore, to the powerful images of nature that characterise his mature and late work. Commentary by the eminent historian of American art, John Wilmerding, provides a guide to Homer's artistic progress and achievements, particularly his transformation of the watercolour medium from the purely descriptive into a highly expressive vehicle. Screening of the 29-minute film begins at 12.30 p.m, and admission is free.

While at the Gallery, viewers can also see three original watercolours of Bermuda painted by this renowned US artist. Owned by the Masterworks Foundation and part of the BNG's autumn exhibition, `Inside and Out: House and Home', this marks the first time all of the paintings have been shown together here.

The significance of this is summed up by Dr. Helen Cooper (the Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Painting and Sculpture,Yale University Library), who says: "Because Homer visited Bermuda only in the last decade of his life, the watercolours done there reflect both his mature painting style and also his emotional response to the landscape, colour and light in the years when his health was beginning to fail."

In his later years, Homer was drawn to the "tropics" - Bermuda, Bahamas, Cuba and the Florida Everglades, where he painted the scenery down to the basic expressive levels of sky, land formations, and in Bermuda's case, architecture.

It was in Bermuda that Homer felt he had reached the pinnacle of his watercolour skills, and said of the works he painted for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York: "These are as good a body of work as I have ever produced."

In all, Homer produced 17 Bermuda scenes, of which the Masterworks Foundation owns three. Acquired separately over time, they are entitled: `S.S. Trinidad', `Inland Water' and `Opposite Ireland Island', the latter of which is being exhibited publicly for the first time.

Presidents' choices at Bermuda Society of Arts

Two new exhibitions open in the Bermuda Society of Arts' twin galleries at City Hall on Friday. The main Onion Gallery will feature a mixed media exhibition of work by past Society presidents Chris Wilcox, Manuel Palacio, Bruce Stuart, Maria Evers Smith, E.Michael Jones, Bobby Barritt, Desmond Fountain, Elmer Midgett and Vaughn Evans. In the Edinburgh Gallery works by another past president, the late Mr. Sam Morse Brown, will be exhibited, and many of which will be for sale. For further information ( 292-3824.

BNG 2004 Bacardi Biennial Judges chosen

The Bermuda National Gallery has announced that Mr. Kendal Henry and Mr. Bruce Kastiff will be the judges for next year's Bacardi Biennial exhibition. Mr. Henry, a St. Lucian who has worked with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Percentage for Art Programme, is currently manager of the permanent art programme for MTA Arts for Transit in New York. Mr. Kastiff is an artist, professor, curator and currently director of the James A. Michener Museum in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Bermudian and resident Bermuda artists wishing to submit entries for the exhibition are reminded that January 16, 2004. For further information contact David Mitchell at curatorbng.bm

St. George's Historical Society workshops

Basic papermaking, Christmas cards and gift wrapping workshops will take place on the ground floor of the St. George's Historical Society on Featherbed Alley, beginning this weekend. On Saturday, Kendra Ezekiel will instruct on basic papermaking from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $50. Her two-day workshop on Wednesday, November 12 and Saturday November 15 will focus on handcrafted Christmas cards, for which the cost is $50. Another two-day workshop, this time conducted by Emma (Mitchell) Ingham-Dounouk, will focus on `Anything but Square! Wrapping gifts with Nature'. It will take place on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and the cost is $100. For further information on all workshops e-mail emma.netlinkcwbda.bm or ( 799-1342.