during a dinner party in Sussex that English artist Michael Frith met musician Andy Newmark.

"He asked me if I was related to the Friths of Bermuda and I said I had no idea what he was talking about. But I found out later that he then got in touch with Elise Outerbridge -- and that's really how my introduction to Masterworks was made,'' explains Mr. Frith.

For her part, Mrs. Outerbridge says, "Andy told me he had met this fantastic artist who, coincidentally, was called Michael Frith. Andy then brought in his portfolio of watercolours, including a wonderful series he had done in Antigua. We were very impressed with his work and decided to invite him to become Masterworks' first international `artist in residence'.'' Mr. Frith, who is one of Britain's leading artists says, "When we arrived here, it was hot, but pouring with rain and we literally ran into the Airport building, so it wasn't really until the next day, when the sun came out and I was able to walk around Dockyard that I realised the sense of peace, the calm and serenity -- in spite of the buzz of little mopeds. I have always,'' he adds, "had this rather childhood view of the sea -- `the sea is blue' -- `the sun is yellow' -- but I find that the brilliance of the colours here is beyond belief. I can see that I shall love it!'' For Masterworks, in this tenth anniversary year, the establishment of the Dockyard residence-cum-studio for visiting artists is seen as a natural progression; as the Foundations's director Tom Butterfield points out, "The whole concept of Masterworks arose out of a desire to `bring back home' some of the artwork that has been created over the past 200 years or so by visiting artists.'' Noting that these included such giants as Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O'Keeffe, Mr. Butterfield says that Masterworks' latest venture is a realisation of part of their original mission statement which is to continue `...to attract and inspire artists from abroad...' so that the Bermudiana Collection reflects contemporary aspects of the Bermuda experience.

Last week, Mr. Frith, who specialises in watercolour and works out of his home in Sussex, arrived with his sculptor wife, Fanny Peppercorn and their five-year-old daughter, Frieda, to take up temporary residence at Dockyard Terrace. The studio (with living quarters `over the shop'), which has been been restored by Masterworks to its original, 19th century prime, is bathed in northern light and, appropriately for the artists who will stay there, boasts uninterrupted views across the Dockyard, the sea beyond providing its own every-changing panoply of light and colour.

Michael Frith's credentials are impressive. He has already been granted what he modestly describes as "a small exhibition'' at the National Portrait Gallery in London and reveals that this august body has expressed interest in one of his current projects -- a series of `larger than life' portraits which will form a special millennium exhibition. "They want to know how I'm progressing as it may be staged there. Can't be certain of what will happen, though,'' he adds cheerfully, "as it all goes through endless selection boards before they finally decide. The exhibit is intended to travel and there is some American interest, so I shall probably need some larger-than-life Americans to paint!'' He is also working on a series of seascapes, a theme he says he will obviously be able to continue during his stay in Bermuda.

As an illustrator, Michael Frith has also pursued a highly successful career with some of Britain's premier newspapers, a happy state of affairs which, he says, means that his `public' work funds what he refers to as his `private', free-lance work: his watercolours are exhibited in the country's most prestigious galleries, as are his portraits. In the latter case, his study of the late newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell now forms part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

"This portrait is 5 feet x 4 feet and when Maxwell saw it, he said `At last! A life-size portrait of me!''' Asked how he fared with Maxwell's larger-than-life character, Frith admits, "It was a bit like being sent to see the headmaster when you're not sure what you have done wrong. His whole office was set up to intimidate -- a chair positioned so that you had to look up at him -- so I perched on the arm. But it worked -- I was very nervous!'' Mr. Frith, who maintains he was never an academic "high flyer'', studied art at the University of Canterbury where he obtained an honours degree in graphic design. Almost immediately afterwards, he found employment with Britain's national newspapers. "A lot of it is luck, a lucky break'' he admits, "but once you're through the door, the rest is up to you.'' At the Daily Mail (where he became art editor for a while), he provided illustrations for everything from maps to gardening, covering Wimbledon, the two Royal weddings and even a spell as a courtroom artist. "I covered both the Jeremy Thorpe and the Yorkshire Ripper trials, for all the world papers. In Britain,'' he reveals, "you are not allowed to draw in court -- you can only sit there and make notes, for some reason. When I first started, I didn't know that, so in I went armed with crayons and paint -- and I got thrown out!'' Michael Frith has always maintained a close relationship with The Sunday Times and, for some time, has been providing one illustration/painting a week, an arrangement which obviously brings a degree of security and frees him to pursue his free-lance work. At the moment, these are mainly for A.A. Gill's wittily acerbic Restaurant Column. He also illustrates books, a recent one being Floella Benjamin's autobiography of her journey from Trinidad as a child in the early '60's, entitled `Coming to England'.

An informal exhibition of Michael Frith's `work in progress' will be held at the Terrace Gallery before he leaves Bermuda in August.