countries as possible, the Masterworks Foundation selected Spanish artist Cassandra Constant as its latest Artist in Residence.

As she neared the end of her stay here, Ms Constant said that the opportunity to work in sea-surrounded Bermuda represented a "big experiment'' for someone who lived and worked in a large city such as Madrid. "I've been very fascinated by the silvery tones of Bermuda and my work has really been focussed on patterns of nature and the sea. It's wonderful to be away from home and to have time to just sit and sketch and draw and paint. The advantage of Masterworks' programme for me is that it's provided me with time to reflect and to immerse myself in what this Island has to offer. I'm surrounded by nature! I was given a bike and I've used it all the time. I think my work reflects that! I find that the curves of the trees are very like the curves of your roads -- and the houses are like `pop-ups'!'' Ms Constant, who first visited Bermuda some six years ago when she spent a month visiting her hotel-manager brother, has found that one of the most rewarding aspects of her residency has been her work and interaction with the Island's schoolchildren. She has also held two workshops. "I have visited schools, such as CedarBridge, for instance, and have had lots of groups come to my studio in Dockyard. I have spent quite a lot of time talking to them about Spain. I think it's very good for young people to be exposed to how other people live. I pointed out the links between Bermuda and Spain -- as in `Bermudez','' she laughed. "I was surprised to find that they had never heard of bullfighting! I've had the opportunity of meeting a lot of people here, so I was able to feel comfortable with a different culture almost immediately. I hope I have given something back.'' An artist who works primarily in pencil, oil pastel and coloured pastel, she is currently deeply involved in the creation of collages. "This is basically ripping up bits of paper,'' she explained cheerfully, "a good way, I find, of representing movement.'' After an interior design course in Madrid, she attended St. Martin's School of Art in London where she studied graphic design and screen printing. After that, she attended the London College of Printing where her work was subsequently exhibited. She spent 1988 undertaking advanced studies in studios and factories in Italy and India, specialising in textile design and printing.

With three solo shows in Spain and several group shows in London, Ms Constant has also had murals commissioned by such companies as Haagen Dazs and the International Book Club. She has also designed the interior for several hotels in Spain and her interior design work is frequently featured in Spanish newspapers and magazines.

Artists impressed by Bermuda's nature "I do quite a lot of design work. But,'' she confides, "I don't really like it, as it's about five percent creation and the other 95 percent is organisation.'' Having accumulated "masses'' of samples from nature, Ms Constant commented, "There is such an abundance of basic materials all around in Bermuda, but I see none of it being used, either in public buildings or in people's homes. I think that most of the restaurants look rather boring -- and yet, there is so much inspirational material that could be creatively used to make a place look distinctively Bermudian -- things like palmettos, berries, leaves and grasses, all of which are wonderful design and decoration tools -- and all free!'' There will be a final opportunity to view Cassandra Constant's work this weekend when she hosts two Open Houses at the Masterworks' Terrace Gallery at Dockyard tomorrow, October 31 and on Sunday, November 1 from 2 to 5 p.m.

`RACING AROUND BERMUDA' -- Acrylic/collage by Spanish artist Cassandra Constant, Artist in Residence for the Masterworks Foundation. She said: "I've been very fascinated by the silvery tones of Bermuda and my work has really been focussed on patterns of nature and the sea. It's wonderful to be away from home and to have time to just sit and sketch and draw and paint. The advantage of Masterworks' programme for me is that it's provided me with time to reflect and to immerse myself in what this Island has to offer.