Sheilagh Head is an impressionist and as such, her landscapes give the impression that it was something that almost just happened, but of course this is an illusion, for although it seems that she paints quickly, a lifetime of honing her skills lie behind her latest paintings, which are on show in the Elliot Gallery at the Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation.

This exhibition consists of 36 paintings, all consistently good, although a few stand out as exceptional. I was especially taken with her 'Winter Beach', which in my estimation is the best in the show.

I happened to be at the gallery when Mrs. Head was in attendance, so had opportunity to ask her which was her favourite and she immediately chose the same painting.

The composition is relatively straight forward, with a view of the sandy trail that runs through the dunes between Long Bay and Horseshoe. The subject is one that is made for the kind of painting Mrs. Head is known for. It allows for her energetic brush work and it comes through beautifully.

Her 'Poppies and Sand Dunes', which is similar and shows a view of the same trail, is a more complex composition, but although a successful painting, it's complexity does not give it the same appeal as 'Winter Beach'.

'Winter Growth' is a smaller painting of the same dunes but from another perspective and although her impressionistic brushwork does not lend itself to precision, nevertheless, in this painting, just a few quick strokes of the brush, depict what could be nothing other than fennel amongst the surrounding vegetation.

There are two paintings of Devonshire Dock in the exhibition. My favourite is number 14, 'Devonshire Dock I', but that is because I favour structure and the house and the dock in the painting are solidly and accurately structured. Having said that, however, the painting is not so precise as to make it static. Underlying the rendering of the building is the careful application of linear perspective.

The other Devonshire Dock painting, number II, shows a broader view of the same scene, with more of its surroundings in the picture, the building, however, is less dominant in the over-all composition.

The painting is more moody and appears to be either early morning or possibly evening scene. The warm colour tones she uses in the painting are picked up by the frame. This makes for a particularly successful presentation.

Although Sheilagh Head is primarily a landscapist, she is showing five abstracts in the exhibition as well. Of these the three smaller one, 'Lowry in the North', 'House by the Side of the Sea' and 'Bermuda Pink Cottage painting', are the more successful. She brings to these painting something of the same energetic brushwork, she applies to her better known landscapes.

Mrs. Head is known for her careful, sensitive selection of frame mouldings and for the most part, each selection is appropriate to the painting it surrounds. Some one asked me where she had her framing done and I speculated that it was possibly Boston, but upon inquiring, I learned that all were done by Frameworks in Hamilton.

The exhibition continues through May 26, 2008.