A group of Bermudian artists will be celebrating Heritage Month with a special art show in Southampton that puts new twists on traditional themes.

?Heritage Bermuda? opens tomorrow at the Lighthouse Tearoom at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. and runs until May 28.

It is being organised by a new group of artists called Bermuda Showcase, organised by banana doll maker Deirdre Furtado.

This upcoming show will feature the work of Chris Grimes, Chris Marson, Milton Hill, Sr., Mrs. Furtado, Bruce Stuart and Vaughan Evans.

The artists will be offering up scenes of Bermuda heritage such as gombeys, banana dolls, carved miniature Bermuda fitted dinghies, cottages and sunsets with the unique artistic flair that has made these artists household names in Bermuda. Vaughan Evans, for example, has done woodcuts of gombeys which helps bring back some of the mystery that has been lost over the years. According to artist Bruce Stuart, Mr. Evans? woodcut gombeys have an almost aboriginal feel.

?I still think we need to explore it ? this aboriginal type of artwork,? Mr. Stuart said. ? We don?t have that iconism here, to say what we are and what we do. Those images are not usually brought across in an aboriginal way. There is no root system. We have it here, but it has all been pretty-fied, along with the gombeys. As the gombeys find their centre, this will change. We are trying to give them back a sense of pride and who they really are. Interesting for myself ? I am trying to find that root, what is the essence of it.?

Mr. Stuart has also brought his own feel to the showcase with sunsets painted with intense blue and orange acrylics. ?This piece is called ?Venus and the New Moon?,? he said. ?I started with the traditional so it was easy to go with the theme of this month?s showcase. It is through the traditional realism lens.?

Watercolourist Chris Marson said he has entered some traditional looking landscapes and cottages into the show, because that is what he loves to paint.

?In Bermuda you have these incredible geometric patterns against this lush foliage,? he said. ?I tend not to paint in the modern.?

He said that Bermuda is developing so rapidly that his paintings of Bermuda cottages can quickly become historical pieces.

Standing outside Gibbs Hill Lighthouse he pointed to a large building in the distance.

?That used to be a little, tiny Bermuda cottage over there, and now it is a huge building,? he said. ?In 100 years time people will be talking about something different ? saying why don?t they build like that??

The carved Bermuda fitted dinghies are an old Bermuda tradition. For Mr. Hill they are a longstanding labour of love.

?The boats are made out of very old cedar, which is very dark,? said Mr. Hill. ?It won?t change colour if I wax it. I used to look at real boats for inspiration, but by now I have it down. I really enjoy making them.?

Mrs. Furtado, who will be showing a series of banana dolls in wedding outfits, said that the Lighthouse Tearoom is an excellent location for an art show.

?It is practically the only place around,? she said.

?It is an untraditional setting, and the artwork is displayed more like the way it would be in your home setting. On a good night the openings are really magical when we are outside. People seem to enjoy them because they want to get out of town. We find that because the art is affordable and desirable, we are doing quite well financially.?

Artist Chris Grimes said people are often lined up outside when show openings start.

?Since we first started talking about it, it has been very successful,? he said. ?And people come.?

Mrs. Furtado said that with the Desmond Fountain Gallery closing, the Lighthouse Tearoom is one of the few retail spaces left for artists on the Island.

The showcase artists? work fits in so well in the Lighthouse Tearoom, that some of it never leaves.

For example, one of Chris Grimes? pieces is permanently on display at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

?It is mainly locals who are very loyal to us,? said Mrs. Furtado.

?Occasionally, we sell something to tourists also, and when we do that the lighthouse staff will sell it for us, because we are not here. They are very good to us.?