Appropriately enough, this opening show of the year, and the first under the presidency of Elmer Midgett, seems to be hopping with new vigour. There is an air of freshness, though whether this is due so much to the actual content of the show as to the very stylish way in which it has been hung, is hard to say.

Certainly, some of our more established artists seem to be venturing into slightly different, even adventurous fields, with a marked increase in figurative work. This would indicate that the life study classes currently being offered by the Society are having some impact; from the reviewer's point of view, a moving away from the seemingly never-ending depiction of Bermuda's great outdoors, is a welcome one.

Over 90 pieces of work are featured in the show, but with the opening up of the gallery and the clever use of space to accommodate a strong showing of sculpture, there is still a sense of spaciousness.

Rather than place each artist's work en bloc (which does have the obvious advantage of enabling the viewer to assess that person's work as a whole), the "hanging'' team have adopted the same method used by last year's `Growing' show by matching or juxtaposing themes, forms and colours. There is also something of a new -- dare we say, democratic -- departure in that, instead of hugging the best wall space, some of the better works are hiding in unexpected corners alongside virtual beginners.

The overall effect is attractive, and in some cases, humorous. Sometimes this is fairly subtle, as with Diana Amos' luxuriously brushed, essentially tranquil Sleeping Nude, close by the irrepressible William Collieson's Sunday Offering. Just what he has in mind with this title is, as usual, impossible to fathom; suffice to say that the ecclesiastical, suggested by the wooden wall hanging, a large painted star, three little marching ducks and the unmistakable mounds of a woman's breasts should provide enough thought for any number of Sunday sermons.

An unusual (for him) depiction of a cat called Boomer, by Elmer Midgett, sitting blackly in a doorway flooded with light is echoed, not so subtly, by Peter Forster's admittedly magnificently sculpted cedar cat, who leans sniffingly in Boomer's direction.

Midgett's best offering in a surprisingly mixed offering which includes a charming pencil drawing of a household plant poised on the mantelpiece, and a deftly shaded pastel study of a reclining nude, is his painting entitled `Lamplight'. A corner of a cedar-beamed bedroom is suffused in palely gold light from a bedside lamp. His use of perspective, to say nothing of the unusual angle which captures his attention, forms a solid basis for what amounts, in the end, to a brilliant study of the effect of light and shade.

Dominating one corner of the gallery is a portrait by Diana Tetlow of Timothy Hodgson, which confirms that this exceptionally gifted artist works as strongly in oils as in the pastels which first established her reputation as a portraitist.

Sheilagh Head is also in fine form, with two of her four works concentrating on spring flowers. Impressionistic, with a hint of peach blossom and nasturtiums, she captures, as always, through an innate understanding of and celebration of colour, the freshness and sense of renewal represented by these transient blooms.

Another fine colourist is Ann Proctor, and while her realistic botanic studies are quite the opposite of Sheilagh Head's vision, this celebration of colour is just as remarkable: her golden loquats positively shimmer.

Elizabeth Muldgerig's `Helen and Ruth', lounging in a whimsical Bermuda landscape, may be seen as a homage to Seurat. Others, however, may view it merely as derivative. There is an uncomfortable similarity, too, in Valerie Tennent's view of a winter afternoon in England to those brushed by Pissarro.

Amongst the many pieces which should not be missed in this lively show is newcomer Grant Hall's Gombey Drummer, Valerie Weddup's pair of male and female nude torso studies, the delicate charm of Rosemary Glynn's plumbagoes and garlic flowers, and the quietly sumptuous array of Marigolds from Joy Bluck Waters. Al Seymour, with his evocatively busy view of Front Street goes from strength to strength, and Helen Whight reveals real talent in her lino cuts of Bermuda boats and two sparely drawn nudes.

Stopping viewers in their tracks as they enter the show is a fine group of sculptures. Peter Forster's Family Group, where four figures huddle in a circle is in cedar and labelled, "unfinished''. The quiet beauty of this piece suggests that it is probably more impressive without the high shine invariably reserved for Bermuda's indigenous crafting wood.

Deborah Charles is another artist who steadily improves. Her collection of deep cobalt, highly glazed life masks reflect the fascination evoked by the National Gallery's African show. Her work is skillfully realised, her marble-eyed frog being especially impressive.

All in all, this is a show that viewers will find enjoyable and well worth a visit or two before it closes at the end of next week.

PATRICIA CALNAN ABOUT FACE -- Deborah Charles' ceramic sculptures can be seen in the Bermuda Society of Arts' current exhibition, the Spring Members' Show, at City Hall.