When Frances Seba Smith's first solo exhibition opens at the Rick Faries Gallery this evening, it will mark the culmination of three months' work as the Masterworks Foundation's artist-in-residence.

From her collected body of work, it is clear that she is an artist who enjoys delving into the fabric of life, rather than the more superficial tourist's perspective.

Thus, the viewer will find, among the land and seascapes, P1 students at West Pembroke Primary school in their classroom, the St. John's Youth Choir in concert, carpenter Warren Mickey Foggo at work in St. George's, kite flying on Good Friday, bathers sipping cocktails while standing in the sea, people at work in the sail loft in St. George's, a lone gospel singer at Tobacco Bay, fisherman 'Peg Leg Arthur' at Devonshire Bay and more.

Mrs. Smith's body of work comprises oils, watercolours, etchings, and lino prints. In addition to constantly sketching wherever she goes, she also takes photographs as an aide memoire when back in the studio.

No stranger to the Island (her sister Janetis the wife of David Lines), the artist, who is widely travelled and has exhibited in many countries, says she has thoroughly enjoyed her extended stay here, and particularly the fact that, with no disrespect to her family, being temporarily relieved of those responsibilities she has been able to devote all of her time to creating art.

"Bermuda has been such a tremendous opportunity to get a body of work together without having to worry about family," Mrs. Smith says. "You can be completely self-centred and selfish. Being a Masterworks artist-in-residence has been just wonderful from that point of view. It gives artists space."

Ensconced at 'Buckingham' in St. George's, she has been charmed by the area, and particularly the people who live there, all of whom have welcomed her warmly as she has gotten to know them and their historic surroundings.

"A lady in the drug store flung her arms around me, saying she knew the previous artist-in-residence. 'It is so nice to have someone here again', the woman enthused. I thought, 'Where else in the world would you go and be greeted like that? It has been a very, very nice experience."

Indeed, the artist marvels at the warmth and friendliness of Bermudians everywhere she has been. Having spent time in Malta where, in addition to an exhibition of her work, she was invited by the Marquis de Piro, KM to be the artist-in-residence at his palazzo, the Casa Rocca Piccola, in Valetta, she finds similarities between the two places, in that both are islands, surrounded by water, and geared to tourism.

With the works for her Bermuda exhibition spread around her, Mrs. Smith takes delight in selecting first one, then another and another, and another, commenting, like a proud mother, on each.

Of the West Pembroke Primary School students, with whom she spent time, she says: "They have a saint of a teacher in Kendra Wharton, and the children are absolutely amazing – really bright kids, and vivacious, but when they were told to be quiet they were. They have energetic, thirsty minds, and were so appreciative. I did a sketch of them, and it meant so much to them."

In fact, the children were studying a list, 'The Virtues of Character', which the artist has incorporated into her painting.

Her painting of the St. John's Youth Choir was inspired by its fine performance at last month's Heritage Concert, and they were "were so good, that I thought, 'This is Bermuda'."

Carpenter Warren Mickey Foggo, captured in the heart of his East End workshop, is remembered as "a lovely man", while a lone gospel singer at Tobacco Bay is described as "having two chords but managing to make songs". The artist loved the rich colour of the St. George's Cycle Livery's shop front, and the 'action' of a working day at the Sail Loft in St. George's.

At the West End, it was a brightly decorated bus stop, with people standing outside it, which caught Mrs. Smith's eye.

Likening its artistic décor to "a shrine", she says it seemed that the prospective passengers didn't want to defile it by standing inside. One day, while sketching at Devonshire Bay, she got to observe fisherman 'Peg Leg Arthur' on his Thursday visit, who appears in the finished painting, along with another man who dropped by in his black die and dress shirt to chat with the fishermen en route to the funeral of two close relatives. That she found fascinating, as he seemed so casual and relaxed.

Relaxation was not the order of the day, however when, at the same venue, someone from a restaurant who had ordered specific fish by cellphone, turned up and was apparently given a bag of different species, which he reluctantly accepted, protesting that the "next time" he wanted what he ordered. In the ensuing, expletive-driven dialogue between two fishermen, the issue of whose fault it was that the customer had received the wrong bag of fish was vigorously 'discussed'.

These, and other stories gathered during the artist's three-month sojourn, all proved grist for the artistic mill, yielding some refreshingly different subject matter. Of course, she also captured some of the Island's topographical and historic attractions in her travels, but not in a saccharine, stereotypical way. A small girl strides across a stretch of beach, against a backdrop of exploding surf on time-worn rocks. Similarly, a canopy protects a glam picnic set out on a lonely beach, with footprints leading to the sea, but not a human in sight. Two very large oils depict a St. David's Island restaurant and adjoining buildings in glowing shades of pink, while a cruise ship "lit up like fairyland", dominates a nightscape of St. George's harbour. "I am no stranger to Bermuda, which is how I was able to focus on what I wanted to. I've done the tourist bit," Mrs. Smith says of her collection.

Born and raised in Montreal, where she lived until she was 24, Frances Seba Smith took a graphic design course at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, where she was introduced to printmaking, and won a national design competition in her final year. She then worked as a graphic designer for Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, and again won awards. In 1956 she met her future husband, Tony Smith, through a mutual interest in sailing, and three years later settled with him in Walton, Cheshire, England. Later, they raised their three children, and then she decided to take an Honours degree course in Fine Arts at North Staffordshire Polytechnic. "I thought I would take myself seriously, so I did it full time," she says. "I had such a wonderful time with all those young students. They were very stimulating, and from an artist's point of view were the three best years of my life – until I had these three months in Bermuda, that is. This has been the most stimulating and enormously unique experience, and I have been so lucky to be able to do it. I have enjoyed every minute – even the centipede in 'Buckingham', which Tony turfed out."

Very special, too, has been the opportunity to re-bond more closely with her sister who, like herself, married and moved away from Montreal many years ago. While the two families have met up for holidays over the years, this time the two women had more time to rekindle their sibling spirits, relive old memories, and prepare for tonight's exhibition, and both have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She admits to being "excited" about this exhibition, not least because friends and family have flown in from as far afield as Qatar in the Middle East to share the moment with her. One couple, whose wedding she attended last week in Canada, are reciprocating while still on their honeymoon.

Tonight's opening reception is from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thereafter, the exhibition will continue through July 1.