For the first time in several years, Heritage House Galleries is staging an major exhibition featuring some of Britain's best known painters.

"This will be a truly first class show,'' says the gallery's Jay Bluck.

"During the recession, we felt it might be hard to sell art which is at the top end.'' Mr. Bluck who is "semi-retired'' (son Gregory now holds the reins) but still actively involved in organising shows, says that the show, put together in association with The Whitgift Galleries in London, will feature four leading, and highly differing artists.

"David Smith, who has exhibited with the Royal Academy, paints wonderful English landscapes that are photo-realistic. I've noticed that if you have one of his paintings in a gallery, even people who are not particularly interested in art, will invariably stop and look! His pastoral scenes give you the feeling that you're stepping right into the landscape -- you can almost brush the may-flies away from the water. A lot of people like that! It comes as no surprise that he lives in Constable country, and his work is in collections all over the world.'' Smith, the grandson of a gifted amateur artist who encouraged him to paint, left school at 15, and trained to become a bricklayer. Since his decision, in 1978, to paint full-time, he has been acknowledged as one of Britain's leading landscape artists. He is now given a solo show each year in Harrods.

Brian Davies, whose still-life studies have been exhibited at both the Royal Academy (special shows as well as the Summer Exhibition) and at the Paris Salon, paints in the tradition of the Old Masters. Born in Britain, he studied technique in Europe and his work reflects his superb understanding of composition, light and shadow. With a home in London, he also spends much of his time in the south of France where a glorious array of fruits and berries from the orchards and vineyards around his hilltop village, find their way into his studio.

Gordon King, a watercolourist who studied life drawing at Reading University Art School and then specialising in illustration, is well known for his paintings of girls and sporting events. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and at the Royal Institute.

"Mr. King will be coming to Bermuda for the opening of the show,'' reveals Mr. Bluck. "He has really taken over the position that was held by Sir Russell Flint -- there is definitely a similarity of style.'' Completing the quartet is Warwick Higgs, a naturalist whose love of animals and birds provide a unique focus for his work. Recipient of the Royal Society of Arts Bursary for Graphic Design, he now lives and works in rural Surrey.

"Warwick Higgs is a naturalist painter with a difference -- he has a wonderful sense of humour that is reflected in a lot of his work.'' The Heritage House exhibition opens to the public on Friday, June 20.

OLD RIVER LEA -- This peaceful English scene by David Smith is one of the works to be shown in a new Exhibition of Original Paintings which opens at the Heritage House Galleries this week.