All three have specific problems and reasons for those problems. But you won't hear the same good reasoning from the same people in a herd.
     Looking at the exhibition of work by B.C. artists, piece by piece, it falls short of the excellent presentation. This annual show has never before been so well hung. No canvas is overwhelmed by the neighbor, and the eye travels from to the other with ease.
     Among the oil paintings is a portrait "Snoo Dekking", by Elizabeth Amess, which is as fresh as a smile in a room of long faces. The head, on a long columnar neck is perfectly balanced against the sky, thrown into the distance by the suggestion of a window frame to the left. To this equilibrium of design is added vitality of color and brushwork - the artist's handwriting. Here is an artist who pays homage to art - color, form and rhythm - and not to effect.

     Contrast this portrait with either "Pam" or "Trudie", by Myfanwy Campbell. Here the color harmony is restrained to the point of non-existence. The painting is smooth, and undoubtedly accomplished, but does not have any integral connection with the form. There is no seizure or accentuation of line for the sake of rhythm, of form for the sake of solidity, of color for the sake of pattern - three of the most elementary requirements of a good picture.

     Unity Bainbridge's paintings of Mrs. Michael Coleman have a satisfying completeness of statement. There is little or no interplay of rhythm or tension between organic form and structural design, but they have a natural strength of color and handling that is pleasing.

     Fred Amess shows an interesting composition in "Artist and His Model". The pyramidical arrangement is powerful against the distant sky. The pleasure this painting gives lies in its pattern of creamy blues, greens, and yellows, sharpened by a concentrated placing of bright red.
     Among the watercolors noted is Jack Shadbolt's "Windy Day" for its rhythm, the Indian theme by Gordon Kit Thorne for its expressive mood, and Dorothy Stevens' two sketches for their free, bold handling.
     In the black and white room the prints by B.C. Binning stand out - apart from their weight of color - for being a relief to the general sober-sidedness of the show. His conception of pattern and his sharp travelling line are wittty (sic) - not in the sense that they describe a funny subject or object, but in the same sense as musical notes are termed "witty".

     The two drawings by Peter Aspell are examples of exquisite draughtsmanship. Each line in itself is sensitive and descriptive, yet is integrated into the whole.

     One of the interesting points of this exhibition is the number of new names among the exhibitors. It is essentially a "young" show.