Now in its third year, Opera Up Close's Flourish competition seeks to give composers and librettists the chance to create new chamber pieces scaled to the possibilities of this pub-theatre venue. Last year's winning entry now reaches the stage with work by two operatic novices, composer Spyros Syrmos and writer Fay Wrixon.

The Blank Canvas centres on artist Lucy, widowed for a year following the death of her husband, Peter, but continuing to enjoy the support of her agent and friend, Gio, who is in love with her. Her work, meanwhile, has run aground because of vision problems that are eventually diagnosed as the onset of blindness. How Lucy comes to terms with these losses and eventually enters into a new relationship with Gio provides the essence of a plot that is simple but not without ambiguities.

Wrixon's libretto is eminently singable, and Syrmos sets it clearly and economically. His effective score is eclectic in style – passages of quasi-serial angularity alternate with others of Britten-like directness and some striking percussive effects – while his chosen accompanying trio of piano, vibraphone and flute provides a coolly translucent sonic surface and plenty of potential atmosphere for a narrative in which Lucy seems to be haunted by her late partner's ghost.

All three principals make their mark in Lucy Bradley's staging, which takes place in a mock-up of Lucy's studio by designer Ele Slade. Mezzo-soprano Melanie Sanders evokes the artist's confusion as she tries to hold on to the past while being dragged towards an uncertain future. Edward Hughes is touching as the thoughtful Gio, while fellow tenor Edmund Hastings makes unsettling appearances in flashback as Peter, who sees Lucy's art primarily as a financial asset. Leading the three-piece band, pianist Chad Kelly provides consistently secure musical direction.

• Until 21 September. Box office: 020-7478 0160. Venue: King's Head, London.