THEY might be SAS members, but their skills are far from military.

For the past 120 years members of the Southampton Art Society (SAS) have been out with their drawing pads, canvases, paints and easels capturing the scenes in and around the city, an activity that continues to this day.

In the 19th century Southampton saw the formation of The Pen and Pencil Club that held its meetings in the Savings Bank in West Marlands.

The organisation was relatively short- lived and in 1885 Major General Lacy of the Royal Engineers, a staff officer at Ordnance Survey, proposed to establish a new group of artists.

Southampton Art Society was formed with members paying an annual subscription of five shillings (25p) and the first exhibition was held the following year at The Philharmonic Rooms that once stood close to the site of the old Odeon cinema in Above Bar.

Members of the public were also invited to pay ten shillings (50p) each year as subscribers, giving them free entry to exhibitions and the prestige of having their names printed alongside those of the artists in show catalogues.

One of the more infamous past members of the society was Albert Durer Lucas who lived in Padwell Road and was a member from 1887 to 1919.

Albert gained some notoriety when he admitted that as a young man he had helped his father, Richard Cockle Lucas, to make a wax bust of the goddess Flora which in 1911, 50 years after its creation, was purchased by the Berlin Museum as a work by Leonardo da Vinci.

In the years following its foundation the society moved around Southampton for its meetings. Some were held above the offices of the London and South West Railway Company in Marlands Place and the art gallery at the old Central Public Library in London Road.

These days members meet at the Atherley Bowling Club in Hill Lane and exhibit at St Mary's Church in St.Mary Street. Bernard Lavell, the society's historian, said: "We have about 80 members and our numbers are increasing.

"One of the projects the society is involved with at the moment is making drawings of the memorials and headstones at the old cemetery on Southampton Common.

"Our present exhibition is due to finish next Thursday at St. Mary's Church but our summer show in August will be something really different as 300 local schoolchildren are painting or drawing their favourite part of Southampton and all these will feature in the display.''