The Bacardi Biennial, this year presented in association with Cellular One, began in 1994. It features work completed in the past two years by Bermudian and resident artists, and charts the development of the Island?s modern art scene. This sixth edition, which opens to the public at the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG) on Saturday, May 1, features 82 selected works from 42 artists, and includes paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures, conceptual works and a video presentation. Respected international judges came to the Island to make the final choices behind closed doors. The Biennial has acquired a certain cachet which apparently makes some artists think carefully before entering, while others eagerly grasp the opportunity which only comes their way on alternate years. Then there are those who have entered for years without success yet never gave up hope. Of the artists whose work is included in this Biennial, fourteen are first-timers. This week, Lifestyle?s Nancy Acton interviews five of them, chosen at random.

Rebecca's interest in art was encouraged by an ?amazing? teacher while attending college in New Hampshire, US. ?He was the first person who made me feel comfortable expressing myself. He opened the door for me and made me feel that whatever I did was going to be okay,? she says.

Initially, Ms Payne drew in charcoal and pastels before progressing to painting. It was not until some years after coming home, however, that she returned to art as a counterbalance to a stressful period in her life. Today, she is delighted at being a successful first-time entrant with a work entitled ?Wither?, and credits Bermuda Society of Arts curator Peter Lapsley with encouraging her to enter. It was one of two works she submitted.

?I was a little taken aback when I learned I had had a piece accepted. It wasn?t something I expected, but I am very pleased,? Ms Payne says. In fulltime employment with a reinsurance company, the recreational artist is also the mother of two young children, so finding time to paint is ?always an issue?, and usually happens at night when she is not tired.

?I always have a piece on the go, and sometimes it takes a long time to complete. I might only get one or two pieces done in a year,? she says.

Described by BNG curator David Mitchell as an ?intuitive? painter, the media for Ms Payne?s lifesize human figure is paper bags and a ball-point pen, neither of which are immediately apparent in the finished piece.

?(The materials) were all I had, and they fit with my enthusiasm for recycling,? she says modestly.

Kendra never felt she was at an appropriate level to enter the Biennial until this year, and even at submission time was not entirely comfortable doing so. Today, she is happily surprised to have had three of her five entries accepted.

Miss Ezekiel, who is well known for her handmade paper, draws inspiration from many sources, including natural and man-made environments, cultural traditions and artifacts, and her entries are expressive of this. ?At the Bottom of the Barrell? was inspired by Hurricane Fabian, with bark which it ripped off a cedar tree being used as ?kindling?. In this piece, the artist says, ?Nature?s essentially encyclical and transformative powers are emulated by the materials and form used in the work?. ?Crash? incorporates recycled newspaper, and ?Moon Shadow? incorporates handmade paper, string, wire, soil and pastel.

?I am open to the creative process as it occurs, and am always full of wonder,? the artist says. ?My pieces were all inspired by and made right after Fabian, when there was a lot of debris, including paper, lying around.?

For Frank it was a case of third time lucky. The closest he came to having his work included in two previous Biennials was the short list. In fact, it was only through a chance meeting with Bermuda National Gallery director Laura Gorham that he was persuaded to try again. Today, Mr. Dublin feels ?honoured, excited and pleased? that two of the five pastels he submitted have been accepted.

The retired police officer?s interest in art goes back to his teen years in his native Grenada when his father gave him a box of Winsor and Newton oils and told him to paint. Reluctantly, he persevered until the paints were finished, all the while imagining that he would then be free of his obligation. Instead, his father provided a replacement set and told his son to keep painting. Further encouragement came from his art teacher at school, John Benjamin, who continues to praise and support his former student?s work today.

Mr. Dublin, who has exhibited at the Bermuda Society of Arts, the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, and Masterworks, has been studying with professional artist and teacher Sharon Wilson for the past three years, and says pastels have become a favourite medium because of their beautiful range of colour possibilities, forgiving nature, and ability to give him more control than oils.

?You have to be very open-minded and willing to take chances and develop a technique that will enhance and develop your work as you go along,? he says of his remarkable progress.

Mr. Dublin confesses that the aim of his paintings is to ?educate and excite? his audience; and to invite them to become involved, and discover how they respond to what they see emotionally and physically. If he accomplishes that he is happy.

Two of his favourite artists are Albert Handel, who has authored a series of books on pastels, and Ramon Kelly, who paints in oils and pastels. Mr. Dublin is currently working towards another solo exhibition later this year.

Katherine Harriott admits she is not a trained artist, but has always enjoyed making things, and to that end has taken various short courses, printmaking and batik among them. It was a two-week course at Penland Craft School in North Carolina which led to inclusion of her work in the Biennial. Ms Harriott is exhibiting four pieces created mainly from aluminium screen wire: ?Emily?, a camisole; ?Sutures?, a diptych; ?Bang?, three boxes; and ?Lonely?, a large cube.

?Emily was my first complete piece with wire. From there the other pieces evolved. Each piece has over 1800 hand-tied knots. Working with wire is very hard on your hands and fingers,? the artist says.

A counsellor by profession, Ms Harriott creates pieces in her spare time and has exhibited at the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard on two occasions.

She entered the Biennial because she sought feedback from the international jurors as to whether or not her work was good. The fact that four out of her five entries were accepted gave her the answer.

?I am really, really excited. I kind of thought maybe I might get one in, but when I was told I had four in I thought, ?Holy smoke?,? the delighted first-timer says.

Charles Anderson is a professional photographer whose four successful entries are studies of the gombeys. Entitled ?Swish and Sway?, ?Birds of a Feather?, ?Jump Up? and ?Johnkanoo?, they are colour prints made from 35mm transparency film, and were shot in slow motion because the photographer says he enjoys a challenge and likes to portray his subjects ?in a slightly different light?.

?The colours are more vibrant because the exposure has been deliberately slowed, and therefore they become more saturated and blend into each other,? he says of the prints.

Mr. Anderson participates in five or six exhibitions a year, and has just won ?Best in Show? for ?Back from the East? in the current Alea members? photographic exhibition at the Bermuda Society of Arts.

In an overview of the current Biennial, curator David Mitchell says the BNG has ?fostered and watched with pride the development of the contemporary art scene in Bermuda?.

?Contemporary art is a vital social force that extends beyond the art world and into the broader culture. With this, our sixth Bermuda Biennial, it is clear that the visual arts have matured. The standard is the highest ever, and proof that museum-quality work is being produced right here, and not just in New York or other major art centres.?

While noting that the Gallery?s new policy of judging all (413) entries for the exhibition had proved ?quite a challenge?, Mr. Mitchell says the advantages included ?helping to identify artists whom the BNG would like to include in future exhibitions and permanent collections?.

?We believe this process results in a greater quality and diversity of work selected for the Biennial, and is a policy that we plan to continue,? he says.

Other artists exhibiting for the first time in the 2004 Bacardi Biennial include: Laura Bell, Carmel Byrne, Lee Finch, Sue Grass, Sheilagh Head, Simon Hodgson, Jason Jones, Jon Legere and Billy West. The multimedia exhibition will continue through September 3. For further information see the Bermuda Calendar.