Everybody who ventures into the student art show at the Bermuda Society of Arts in City Hall is in for a treat. The gallery is simply bursting with gorgeous art by students from primary to post-secondary. Artwork is on the walls, on plinths, in special cases and even set out on the floor.

Bright coloured and immediately recognisable paintings of food wrappers by Saltus Senior School students stand out immediately upon entering the gallery. What a great way to challenge students to mix just the right colours - painting junk food wrappers! It of course raises the immediate questions, what is art and how do young people make art differently than adults?

Drawing to music may be one of those indicators. Both Northlands and Gilbert Institute have books of artwork which students created on different themes like "while listening to music". The challenge is to see the rhythms and sounds. The artwork is bright and intriguing and what the music actually was remains a mystery.

There is a great deal of very traditional art, like that created from scrunched bits of coloured tissue. Remember that? Art from the Education Centre includes this as well as glitter and other mixed media. The subject matter is mostly trees and flowers, growing vigorously upward.

The primary schools have a good variety of figures, landscapes, and abstract in colour, and black and white, in a variety of media. Worth noting is Rodrigo Medeiros' two studies and execution of a playful onion like cartoon character. It shows his progression from light sketch to final artwork.

Wonderful mock stained glass by Purvis Primary students would be nice to see with some light shining through it instead of up against a wall. Victor Scott and Harrington Sound both have some great foil reliefs and the latter wonderful cityscapes in watercolour and pastel. Gianni Smith has created a wonderful glue line and chalk stormy landscape.

Bermuda Christian Academy has sculptures in boxes and computer generated art illustrating Bible verses. Dellwood has some art with incredible perspective, wood art, beadwork and amazing prints. There are only twe banana dolls in the show, angels by Warwick Academy junior school students and the Bermuda High School for Girls Junior school is a wash of colour abstracts.

Saltus Junior School has a good variety of art with lots of abstract free form art. The portraits are also at a very high level. Southampton Glebe also has some wonderful free form art. West Pembroke has great masks and wonderful string art and Mount St. Agnes junior school some very energetic portraits.

"There's so much work it makes interesting viewing; even with one teacher and one subject they are all different," says gallery director Peter Lapsley. "The quality is fantastic and lots of kids are coming up to see the show which is good as well. It allows them to see what is possible, because it's primary through senior school there's a good cross section of work. I think the visual arts in education are important to approach problems from different angles and from different points of view."

Berkeley Institute students sure had fun with their installation - a plaster sculpture of a man sits on an actual toilet, a basin and shower curtains complete the scene. It was inspired by George Segal. The man is looking at The Royal Gazette employment advertising for either XL Capital or Bank of Bermuda; it's difficult to tell which.

Other Berkeley artwork includes still life and great paintings of sections of faces, a cheek and nose here an eye and brow there. They are fun and very good. Somersfield Academy has a great native "Canadian" totem pole with each section made by a different student. As well as foil art they have some still life and wonderful coloured sand art.

Bermuda High School for Girls Senior students have created some incredible prints and portraits. A still life by Madeline Gardner with the kitchen reflected in a kettle and Heather Trimingham's painting of Desmond Fountain's Johnny Barnes sculpture are outstanding. Both received certificates of merit.

Mr. Lapsley says he has mixed feeling about picking out certain artwork for commendation. "I don't know if it's a good or bad idea, some are very good and others can still get there. There are pieces that are worthy of merit that didn't get recognised and I hope the students realise that."

CederBridge is the only school with photography exhibited with some really great perspectives. There is also the preparatory work for murals done at the school, portraits, sculpture and ceramics.

Saltus Senior students have a huge body of work in the show from wire sculpture to sketch books on artists and diaries. Most of the work is of a very high calibre as some students are very serious about their advanced studies.

The senior student at Mount St. Agnes Academy created some first class portraits and the middle school students some wonderful masks. Sandys Secondary also has vibrant masks and prints.

The most striking Warwick Academy senior work is by Alana Caldwell and Nicole Wikinson. They both painted wooden boxes, one with still life, the other butterflies. With both of them there is a different scene on the bottom of the box and another on slats within the box which has to be viewed at a distance.

It would take days to absorb all of the artwork in this show and only a fraction of it can be mentioned. I highly recommend taking some time to view the great artwork our students have created.

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The student show continues at the Bermuda Society of Arts until February 27.