`ORGANIC ARTWORK' by Diedre Furtado On show at the Masterworks Gallery at Bermuda House Lane, off Front Street, Hamilton Show ends May 18 Figures and expressions are portrayed without faces in Deirdre Furtado's "Organic Artwork'' show now featured at Masterwork's "Artists up Front Street'' series on Bermuda House Lane, off Front Street.

The natural forms of banana leaves, and other organic matter, dictate the shape and flow of her dolls, giving them surprising grace and elegance.

"Belle of the Ball'' and "Sunday Best'' are distinctively different characters showing off a new dress and on the way to church.

But these, and most of the pieces in this show, rather than being the usual table top dolls - are wall mounted.

"I wanted to make the dolls more permanent,'' says Furtado, who started experimenting about a year ago.

She designed, and had made, special Bermuda cedar frames with about an inch inside to display the dolls.

Her materials are all boiled, or baked, to kill any living matter, and all are coated with acrylic varnish for longevity.

This change in presentation seems to be a success. Several pieces sold quickly at the opening.

Furtado was not prepared however for what happened in preparing for the show.

"Some of them are pretty wild,'' she says looking at "Go Fetch'' in which the dog naturally appeared in a banana leaf. "I just went with it.'' "Kite Flying'' and "Playful Wind'' also exhibit that wildness.

The background of store bought hand made paper, and paint soaked paper bag, provide a much broader area for her to work with than a single doll.

A few dolls are also exhibited, and the wildness infected some of them as well.

There are four dolls in with a "Wild Woman'' series. Another of the dolls, "Lady of the Night'' is wall mounted on its own. Powerfully full of woman energy, it sold quickly.

Furtado's "folk art'' strikes a cord with the buying public at a gut level.

It is finely executed and rightly deserves a place alongside that of trained artists. The show runs until May 18.

Denise Demoura ARTISTS ART