‘Paths' is the title of a show, which opened on Sunday at the Bermuda Arts Centre at the Dockyard, and it is a theme to which many of the paintings and sculptures adhere in one way or another.

In my attempt to be methodical and miss nothing I tend to start on the left and work my way around a gallery clockwise so I first came upon a hanging sculpture by Suzie Lowe entitled, rather disconcertingly, ‘Nasal Passages' a suitable synonym for path, if a little personal. This is indeed a nose impression and hanging from its left nostril is a little man climbing a ladder into the nostril. Far from offensive this is a piece of whimsical humour and is but a foretaste of nine more such ceramic sculptures around the gallery.

Next came a sculpture of a wall with a series of steps leading up to and then away from a doorway. It was textured with irregular stone shapes and had a warmth and charm surprising in such an apparently simple work. After this came a couple of more abstract works, each a series of horizontals the meanings of which escaped me except for ‘Time Passages'. This was in three layers, the bottom representing pre-Columbian Indian cliff dwellings, the middle thatched African kraals, and the top high rises. It certainly gave pause for thought.

Free standing ceramic sculptures by Ms Lowe included ‘Cheek by Jawl', a series of house fronts facing in two directions, their doors joined by paths. A different version of this concept was ‘Winding my Way Home' where the doors were connected by rising and falling steps. ‘Mergers and Acquisitions' joined two representations of office towers joined by a silver ladder. The work is uniformly confident and stylishly executed. This is a sculptress with something of the charm and eccentric humour of Betsy Mulderig, but in an entirely different vein.

Joyce Beale sticks to the path theme with two unusual batik works, the first of which “Solitude', was accomplished in a warm monochrome textured with stones in an architectural composition. This was of a receding series of irregular arches threaded with steps rising to a dark doorway providing the necessary escape and a sense that the path led to an intriguing destination.

‘Mystique', on the other hand, was of a path through looming trees and undergrowth ending abruptly in an apparently impenetrable thicket. The colour scheme here was rather chalky and lacked the contrasts of the former work, depriving it of the inherent drama that would have given it a similar impact.

Two oils by Margaret Potts had a similar contrast in a curiously similar way. The first, a street scene in Assisi, admirably conveyed the dusty heat and charm of one of the few parts of that tourist-ridden town to retain its erstwhile character. Its colours are understated and clear, its execution crisp and professional. Not so, however, was ‘Ferry Lane', where muddy brushwork and a failure of perspective left it a poor second to the first work.

Michael Casy's single entry, ‘Barber's Alley', an oil wash was accomplished in strong compositional blocks of verticals and varying diagonals in smooth washes of untextured paint. The result, relieved only by a tree and clouds, is strong and confident, if a little purple for my taste.

Three powerful works by Vernon Clarke, all set in distorted jail interiors and rendered in forbiddingly simplified, moody colour schemes, command attention. In one, reminiscent of the Baghdad prison of recent ill repute, butterflies flap undirectedly through dusty motes of lemon yellow light in an otherwise empty and abandoned jail corridor. Its title, ‘Belly' may refer to the butterflies in the stomach the painting induces. His other two works, ‘Cat' and, unsurprisingly, ‘Mouse' show the appropriate animal caught by surprise on a stairway in what seems a more modern prison, but one nevertheless abandoned. In all three of these works the viewer feels almost as though he is intruding where he has no right to be.

If there was political motivation in Mr. Clarke's work there can be no doubt about the two works which follow by Vaughan Evans. They are titled ‘Path to Independence I and II'. Both works are in mixed media, being accomplished in washes over independence-related headlines form the local papers. The first shows a Bermuda flag distorted by black, green and orange colours. With Independence would naturally come a change in our national flag, if, one may hope, not in this cynically offensive style. The second, in similar colours, depicts the Cenotaph with its three flags of the three services that fought for Bermuda and the British Empire against tyranny and Nazism in two bloody World Wars replaced by similarly coloured flags not associated in any way with that vast, heroic sacrifice of life. Wherever one may stand in the Independence debate, the thought that historically ignorant, Britain-hating independence advocates might thus demean the Cenotaph makes the blood run cold. This is certainly, if I may coin a term, Volk Art.

The political intent of the three works by Rebecca Payne, entitled ‘Origin I, II and III', escaped me, as did any relationship to the path theme of the show. Perhaps some feminist undercurrent informs the works, which are cleanly executed in not displeasing sweeps of colour. An obsession with genitalia, however, is likely to leave most viewers unsympathetic.

The work of Kok Wan Lee continues to intrigue me. Previously I have seen only his work in charcoal or black chalk. Here he has five works in oil pastels, impressionistic to the point of abstraction though I was able to see the rural inspiration behind them. All done in autumnal colours, I could detect a debt to Monet, though faint. All of them are restful, warm and satisfying.

Elmer Midget, one of the “featured artists” of the show continues to work in a tight, carefully controlled style, verging occasionally on a loose pointillism. His fascination with quirky shapes has increased and close study of any of his works is almost hypnotising. Taken as a whole, rather than as the sum of its parts, however, these works seem cold, particularly when contrasted with the other “featured” painter, Sheilagh Head.

Sheilagh Head, along with Sharon Wilson in her rather different vein, must be acknowledged as Bermuda's leading artist and it will surprise no one to hear that I am certainly one of her fervent admirers. In this show, however I found a small something to carp about. Her three principal paintings were, as always, glorious, particularly the radiant light suffusing ‘Smuggler's Passage', a view of the entrance to the narrow end of Riddell's Bay from the public dock. This was in splendid contrast to the dark, almost ominous shadows of ‘Riddles to the Sound', a work demeaned only by its punny title.

Where the paths in ‘Pathways, Botanic Garden' were is any one's guess, lost as they were amongst the abstracted swirls of vegetation surrounding an unobtrusive masonry focus which I find very satisfying in Mrs. Head's semi-abstracts. There is also a large true abstract of strong, vibrant colours, lavishly applied to the canvas and lit to display to advantage the texture of the paint. This is what, it seems to me, a Sheilagh Head abstract is all about and is in diametric contrast to the vapid, thin, gutless piece that is to be seen in the Biennial.

Where I found myself carping was in two small works done in evening light in very oily paint. In both paintings there is a streak of flat chalky paint that I would have thought hard to achieve in so rich a medium. The contrast with the rest of the painting quite takes the starch out of them.

This show is of a standard higher than I remember from years ago, the second excellent show in a row. When I went there was a steady flow of visitors to the gallery and all seemed pleased with what they saw. With the demise of the Windjammer gallery it is fortunate indeed that this artists' cooperative is maintaining so high a standard. The lack of a catalogue, surely not difficult of achievement in this computerised age, makes a careful study of this exhibition somewhat difficult for any viewer and particularly so for anyone, such as a reviewer, taking notes. It is a lack I hope may be rectified in future shows.

Andrew Trimingham