Heritage House this week.

Work by Bermudian artists Stephen J. Card and Mark Boden will be joined by Tim Thompson, John Finch, Jim Karvelas, William G. Muller and Donald Stoltenberg.

Capt. Card, who has earned wide recognition in marine art circles, began his career in perhaps the best possible way: as his title suggests, he spent 13 years at sea, first as a navigating officer, then commanding his own ship and eventually returning home, in 1982, as Bermuda's Harbour Master. During the long, often lonely voyages, his love of the sea -- and its mighty ships -- was translated to canvas: within a few years, the requisite eye for detail, coupled with refreshingly strong compositional powers and strong sense of colour, caused something of a stir. Now, he works full time as a marine artist.

Represented in major shipping periodicals, his work has found a permanent home in the great collections of the American Merchant Marine Museum, Holland America Line, Norway Caribbean Line, Cunard Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

Mark Boden, who is largely self-taught, also pursues a nautical-style life as he lives on his own 42-foot gaff ketch, with wife Hilary and son Joshua.

Mentioning Winslow Homer and Fredrick Judd Waugh as two important influences on his work, Mr. Boden works in both oil and watercolour, concentrating most of his focus now on marine subjects.

Englishman Tim Thompson, regarded as one of the world's greatest marine artists, first made his name with paintings that featured the great naval ships of Drake and Nelson. Since then, his work, which also embraces clipper ships, yachts and racing boats, has been exhibited as far afield as London, Washington D.C., Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Australia. His D-Day Commemorative Review painting, signed by Prince Philip, was produced as a limited edition print, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wrote the Foreword for his book on the RNLI Gold Medal Rescues.

American Bill Muller recalls that his interest in marine painting was stirred in his boyhood during the 1940's, as he watched the few surviving paddle-steamers era ply the Hudson River. Serving on several of these, he became quartermaster-pilot of the Alexander Hamilton . A founding director and fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists, and advisor to the National Maritime Historical Society, his work is to be found in major collections throughout America.

Jim Karvelas served in the US Navy and then earned a degree in architecture from New York's Pratt Institute. His fascination with ships goes back to the 1950's when he sailed on some of the Atlantic's most famous liners including the Queen Mary , Ile de France , and Saturnia .

`Masters of the Sea' opens to the public on October 17.

MASTERS OF THE SEA -- Bermudian marine artist Stephen J. Card's painting entitled `Mid Atlantic: Nieuw Amsterdam and Rotterdam is one of the works on show in Heritage House's upcoming exhibition.