Two artists will be coming together to celebrate Heritage Month on Friday in a show entitled ‘Bermuda Traditional Art' which will open at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Tea Room.

Christopher Grimes will be exhibiting his historical oil paintings while Deirdre Furtado has produced 13 banana dolls for the exhibition.

It is the first time the Tea Room will host an art show but owner Heidi Cowen said her restaurant is a natural fit for this exhibit of Bermuda's traditional arts.

Ms Cowen comes from a long line of lighthouse keepers and grew up here at the top of Gibbs Hill.

“My grandfather, Rudolph Cowen was the last of the lighthouse keepers before the light went electronic,” she said.

“My brother and I grew up with my grandparents, and I lived in what is now the restaurant for seven years.”

In the Tea Room, she has striven to create a truly Bermudian atmosphere.

“I am now the owner of the restaurant and I try to offer Bermudian and home cuisine, and use a natural flair in all of my garnishes and decorations in the Tea Room itself,” she said.

“Being a small business owner, I support all local talent that I can and I play CDs brought in by local musicians, and I try to support all local artists.”

A conversation with Jan Blanchard of Preview Magazine led to the inspiration for hosting an art show in the unique location.

“She looked around, and said, ‘wouldn't this be a wonderful place for an art show',” Ms Cowen said. “In the past, the restaurant has hosted parties, weddings and gatherings, which got me thinking about the closure of various art galleries around the Island, and I thought that this would actually be a great idea and also a way to offer support to local artists.

“I passed my thoughts onto Deirdre Furtado, who then ran it by The Masterworks Foundation and everyone thought that it was a great idea and Masterworks offered their full support.”

The timing could not have been better for an exhibition featuring traditional Bermuda arts.

“With this being heritage month, the two artists that the restaurant will be hosting is very appropriate,” said Ms Cowen. “Banana doll making is a traditional Bermudian art and Chris Grimes paintings are of a forgotten Bermuda.”

She is hopeful that art lovers will flock to the show.

“In doing so they will take in the most beautiful view in the world,” she added.

“I think as Bermudians we get caught up in the troubles of day to day and we tend to forget how lucky we are to be living where we do. I invite everyone to come to Lighthouse Hill, admire the art and escape back into a tranquil time of long ago.”

Helping them recapture the days of yore, will be Mr. Grimes distinctive, historical paintings.

“The show is entitled Bermuda Traditional Art and as May is Heritage Month and 2005 is the Quincentennial Anniversary, it seemed fitting to go with that theme,” Mr. Grimes said of the work he will be displaying.

“However, I don't need an excuse or anniversary to paint and display historical paintings - I have always loved Bermuda history, perhaps because you can drive to different areas and actually see relevant parts of it so easily.

“So, Bermuda historical paintings are my favourite. Marine paintings, especially those of a Bermudian theme, and important naval battles rank a very close second.”

Mr. Grimes works with oil paint on canvasses that he stretches himself.

“I started in oils,” he said. “I tried acrylics for a while but returned to and then stayed with oils. I still use acrylics for quick studies and sketches, but all of my finished work is in oils. There is no other medium that has the richness of colour, or the workability of oils.”

His paintings may take as little as a week to produce or as long as two months.

“I do start paintings as soon as I have an idea or inspiration,” he said. “But following that I may put it aside for days, weeks or months. The idea is to capture the initial feel while the idea is fresh in my mind. At any time, I may have ten to 20 paintings in progress, unfortunately, as with most artists, some work never gets finished.”

Mr. Grimes has painted for about 30 years as a hobby but since retiring last year, he has turned more attention to his work.

“I decided to devote far more time to it,” he said. “I basically paint all year round, although I travel for at least a few months of the year.

“I paint from my home, in an area set up as a studio. My walls are covered in unfinished paintings and there are three easels set up, so my home is more like a studio that I also happen to live in.

“I have an extensive collection of books and old photographs and they are usually scattered around the house.”

His inspiration is often the images that stuck with him from his own childhood.

“Although not of a very advanced age, I do remember as a youngster the Bermuda of the past,” said Mr. Grimes.

“Drives without road congestion, being able to see the ocean from the roads and far (fewer) buildings, open areas, far less noise and generally a far more peaceful and laid back Bermuda.

“Unfortunately there are so many buildings obscuring those views now.

“Although this is progress - and is inevitable - there is no reason why we can't hold onto the Bermuda we remember, even if only in pictorial form.

“I have taken many photographs over the years for reference, but I am finding it increasingly hard to take modern day photos of some of the scenes I have in old black and white photos due to the proliferation of new buildings blocking the views.”

Mr. Grimes often finds it difficult to let go of his work.

“There are many paintings that I would love to still have,” he said. “But since I cannot afford a 10,000 square foot display area for them all, and given the fact that some people seem to like my work enough to buy them, I simply cannot hold on to them.”

He will be exhibiting 15 paintings in the Tea Room.

“The setting there is far more suitable to showing in my opinion than a gallery, which tends to be more sterile,” he said. “With the furnishings and ambience, it is the perfect setting for displaying art.

“There is also the advantage that anyone viewing the show can enjoy a meal and see the display at leisure.”

To learn more about Mr. Grimes' work visit www.oldbermuda.com.

Featured alongside his work will be the wonderful banana dolls of Deirdre Furtado.

Ms Furtado said she has been making dolls of one kind or another all her life.

“When I was six years old I used rose hips for doll heads and bits of sticks for arms and legs,” she said.

“I have no formal art education, but his is an old art and, as such, is something which just happens because of where you are and what is available.

“My dolls are made from banana leaves in the Bermudian tradition.”

Ms Furtado even gathers the leaves for her creations personally.

“A local farmer allows me to gather the leaves I need from his banana patch,” she said. “I sort them, boil them to clean them and largely let the leaves do the work.

“The shapes of the leaves dictate the end result and give the doll movement.”

This year the leaves were much affected by the weather, she said.

“We had a lot of wind this year which affected the shapes of the banana leaves. I don't fight with their natural inclination and they came out looking windswept.”

Ms Furtado said the amount of time it takes to make a doll varies greatly. “I decided not to time myself as then I might not do them,” she said. “It really is a labour of love.”

Her eye for art improved from working part-time at the Masterworks gallery, she added.

“Being around so much art improved my eye and I have learned to keep things simple.”

She creates her dolls in a little old cottage on her mother-in-law, Virginia Figueirado's property.

“She kindly allows me the use of a cottage in the garden, which consists of one large room and I can make as much of a mess in it as I like,” she said.

Her favourite doll is called ‘Stormy Weather'.

“She has a palm fibre cape and hair blowing in the wind,” she said.

Thirteen dolls will be shown in the Tea Room exhibition, which opens this Friday from 6 to 7.30 p.m.