art and ceramics -- Bermuda Society of Arts at City Hall -- Until November 25.

Unique and highly divergent from each other, the five talents (plus one) that are represented in the Bermuda Society of Arts' current "Growing'' exhibition aren't the only things that have visibly been stretched with this 100-or-so-piece show.

So, too, has this reviewer's estimation of the artists, a loosely associated band of talents that gather perennially (about once every two years) to display the extent of their respective advancements.

As a matter of course, a critic of any medium, if his or her motives are entirely pure, will generally be impressed by -- or at least remain respectful of -- any creative risk-taking, even if it results in the occasional failure.

Pleasantly, though, there are few if any failures in the present "Growing'' installment, which this year marks the return of past participants Elmer Midgett, Sheilagh Head and Kris Jensen and welcomes newcomers Janice Alexander and Karin Bain to the artistic fold.

An on-and-off member of the "Growing'' cabal, the refreshingly inventive Paul Doughty, has re-established his connection to the assembly with a sideline exhibition of relief sculptures in the adjoining Edinburgh Gallery.

As admirably evolutionary as "Growing'' as a whole may be, however, the exhibition, in this reviewer's opinion, could easily have done without the benefit of such comparatively superfluous elements as Mrs. Alexander's slightly outre jewellery contributions (glassy beads and gewgaws whose connection to the many outstanding paintings around them seem altogether forced) and the corresponding assortment of ceramics by Ms Bain (inoffensive Mediterranean-style pieces that in most cases are simply standard).

The few pieces, too, of so-called "wearable'' art -- whatever that may mean -- seem fairly unsubstantive, although Mrs. Alexander's multi-media "Secret Garden'' and "Secret Garden II'' (two campily eye-popping works consisting of such visually arresting images as a rose-enshrouded peacock and have an eerie "Blue Velvet'' sensibility) hold a kitschy kind of appeal.

In large part, however, it is the exhibition's paintings -- both big and small, in oil, silk and watercolour -- that reveal the most growth here, from the minimalist clarity of Mr. Midgett's work (his "Riddell's Bay Golf Course,'' a particularly striking departure, is simply marvellous, capturing the cool shadows, blinding clarity and almost imperceptible movements of an open space at the height of a summer's day) to the simultaneous grandeur-intimacy of Mrs. Head's (her beautifully epic skies and often dramatic seascapes are still present in this show, but so too is a new and exquisitely expressed attraction to shady Bermuda lanes and wild inland vistas) to the exotic and exuberantly tinted silk paintings of Ms Bain (her fish-themed works, in opulent purples, sumptuous greens and earthy mustards and browns, are especially worth a look).

For her part, Ms Jensen, who has demonstrated a new subtlety and thematic sophistication in this exhibition, weighs in (heavily) with one impressive oil in particular, the hauntingly lovely "Airy Room''. In many respects -- and despite his established connection to the "Growing'' group -- it was also a wise and effective choice to have exhibited Mr. Doughty's work (the strongest of which are unquestionably his free-standing heads, specifically "Virtual Man,'' which calls to mind the monument to composer Arthur Fiedler along Boston's Esplanade, and the wonderfully spare "Evolution in Profile No. 2'') in a separate gallery of its own.

In fact, a kudo or two should be thrown in the direction of the BSA's curatorial staff, who showed some real imagination in many of their display choices, hanging two of Ms Bain's spectacular silk wall banners over windows (where the sunlight beautifully illuminated their rich and vibrant colours) and draping some of Ms Alexander's jewellery on sculptures.

Just as the artists of the exhibition appear to be growing, so too, it seems, is the Society's own sense of arrangement.

Danny Sinopoli KAREN BAIN'S "VASE'' -- A silk wall hanging that's beautifully illuminated by sunlight.

"THINKING MAN'' BY PAUL DOUGHTY -- A refreshingly inventive artist whose strongest works are his free-standing heads.