Four artists and long-standing friends whose work is well-known in local circles have joined forces to hold a joint exhibition entitled ?Variations?, which opened in the Onions Gallery of the Bermuda Society of Arts yesterday.

They are Angela Gentleman, Julie Hastings-Smith, Suzie Lowe and Elmer Midgett, each of whom will bring a different perspective to the show.

Viewers can expect to see large, abstract oils from Ms Gentleman, while Mrs. Hastings-Smith is showing hand-built ceramic vessels embellished with beads, thread, fabric and copper clay. Sculpture is Ms Lowe?s art of choice, while Mr. Midgett continues his preference for oils on canvas.?s body of work will include several series: one of paintings based on female figures; another on small red paintings called ?Passion?; and a third, using gold paper and gold leafing, are described by the artist as ?very architectural?.

While admitting that she has ?no idea? where her ideas come from, inspiration for the females series came from an exhibition at the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard (BACD) entitled ?Women?s Work?, while and her overall choice of colours, which runs the gamut from bright orange and yellow to muted blues and earth tones, is inspired by time spent in Mexico and Italy.

Ms Gentleman?s favourite medium is oils, in which she has been working for five years, ?because it is wonderfully forgiving? and allows her to build up ?layers and layers of thin glazes? to reach a particular effect or colour.

The Welsh-born artist, who has taught in local schools for 36 years, has no formal art training but first began painting six years ago while visiting San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. She shares a studio called ?Mixed Media? at the BACD with fellow exhibitors Suzie Lowe and Julie Hastings-Smith, both of whom share her love of San Miguel de Allende.

?I am delighted to not only have found my passion in life, but to have the chance to explore it,? Ms Gentleman says, and adds that daughter Jennifer, a law student in London, England, is her ?biggest fan?., finds working with clay ?very therapeutic? despite the medium being ?a little temperamental?, and very much enjoys the steps involved in creating her pieces. These include smoking the red clay, burnishing the pieces to smoothness, and then waxing them to a protective sheen.

This year, for the first time, the artist has tried hand building ? a process requiring more forethought and handling. Her choice of ?simple forms? is her artistic response to any surrounding chaos in her life, and a desire to simplify it.

A term as curator of the BACD kindled Mrs. Hastings-Smith?s interest in art, as a result of which she began working in wax for bronze casting and subsequently travelled to San Miguel de Allende each year to work in the sculpture studio of the Instituto.

However, because she prefers creating her pieces ?from start to finish without leaving (her) studio?, she elected to switch from working in wax to clay.

?I consider myself extremely lucky that my husband, Kelvin, supports and encourages me in my artistic endeavours, and that I have the opportunity to pursue my passion,? she says.began working in paper clay about five years ago, a medium she describes today as her ?absolute favourite? because, being a tactile person, it allows her to ?manipulate, form, build layers and generally just play?.

Introduced to the medium during a visit to San Miguel de Allende, the artist says the initial process involves waiting for a silt-like mixture of shredded newspaper and soaked clay fragments to dry out on a plaster form for days before creation of a work begins.

She then hand-builds each piece using either a coil method or a slab, to which she may add copper wire or other embellishments.

Some of her work is ethnic, inspired by her upbringing in Malawi, while some wall hangings reflect a ?Spanish/Mediterranean feel?. Her choices of colour range from earth tones to a patina effect.

?I have no formal training in art, but I have always been creative,? is how Ms Lowe sums up her passion for art. has been an active, dedicated member of the local arts community for many years. A former president of the Bermuda Society of Arts, he began painting oils and acrylics in college but ?got side-tracked and wound up working in stained glass for about ten years? ? works which were exhibited in all of the ?Lightworks? shows, as well as some of the early ?Growing? exhibitions, both of which he founded. A summer spent on Galiano Islands in British Columbia is what led to the decision to ?re-teach? himself to paint.

Apart from the enjoyment of ?fooling about with gooey, shiny paint?, and the ?delicious smells of linseed oil and turpentine?, the artist derives great satisfaction from ?seeing something come alive? ? a process he imagines is ?a little like giving birth, although with a different sort of pain?.

The ?sudden recognition of beauty? is what inspires Mr. Midgett ? something which he says ?can happen anywhere, but seems to happen more often in Bermuda?.

Viewers can expect his paintings to have ?a distinct home theme?, and reflect his fascination with variations in light. He has painted in full sunlight, shadow, indoor light and artificial light, and always from life. Subject matter includes ?the natural beauty of light on a plant, a curtain, the falling light and shadow on an indoor scene?, and more, all of which Mr. Midgett has found in and around his residence.

Mr. Midgett, who originated the idea of a show with this group of friends, describes the style of his work this time around as ?richer, juicier and riper?.

?Variations? will continue through September 20. For gallery hours see the Bermuda Calendar.