Art seen: Collection of Otago landscape impressions

Manuherikia River, by Juliet Novena-Sorrel.

''New works'', Juliet Novena-Sorrel (Inge Doesburg Gallery).

Juliet Novena-Sorrel has assembled a collection of impressions of the Otago landscape in her latest exhibition at the Inge Doesburg Gallery.

Worked in thick, heavy graphite on recycled board, the images appear as if they are faded photographs, frozen moments capturing the essence of the land as much as they do specifics of time and place. Created on irregularly shaped ovals, the pieces seem as if incomplete memories, scenes which could be from today or from a hundred years ago.

The works are rimmed in sealed bands of rubberised plastic; at a previous exhibition of similar pieces, the boards were laid flat, and water was poured over the picture surface - presumably the current exhibition's works could be similarly displayed. The effect of the sheen of water and the wavering shine of the underwater scenes would add a fascinating edge to these images.

Several series of small cameo works are also presented. One of these series adds to the nostalgic aura of the pieces by being on surfaces that have previously been weathered by allowing wire to rust against the board. Faded rivulets of red-brown add their marks to the gentle images, each of which displays a memento of the land, a bittersweet love letter from the countryside to the viewer.

Little blue flowers, by Joe L'Estrange.

It has been too long since we last saw an exhibition of Joe L'Estrange's work. In her first show since 2006 - and amazingly, her first solo show - the artist has produced a series of flowery still lifes, accompanied by three older works of her other favourite subject, cats.

The flower images are impressive and warm, with L'Estrange's trademark combination of deceptive naive flatness and penchant for repeated pattern. Often the flowers are cropped close to the picture frame, so it as if we are staring at a small segment of an endless carpet of blooms.

In others, an austere vase is thrown into relief against wallpaper and table, a symbol of a particular style and time in New Zealand's recent past.

The three cat works show the artist's familiarity with these household gods. Again, the style is almost that of the naive artist, yet the cats' attitudes and expressions are precisely and humorously captured.

The final flower work, however, stands out from the rest of the show. A portrait of the artist's garden, it shows detail and complexity that marks a change of style for L'Estrange. The plants stand out boldly against a cloud-heavy sky, and fine composition enables the seemingly random elements to form an impressive, glorious whole.

Soft kitty, by K.L. Smith (Karen Campbell).

One could be forgiven for thinking the current show at the Taieri Gallery was by two artists. Confusingly, Taieri artist Karen Campbell's paintings are predominantly labelled under her maiden name of K. L. Smith. But while the name may vary, the art holds together with a stylish consistency that marks this as being all the work of the same painter.

Campbell's art relies heavily on texture, mainly through the use of an uneven surface over which the paint is laid. The roughness of the surface is built up in many ways, but mainly through the thick impasto application of the undercoating gesso.

In each case, the finished surface becomes a major guide for the overlaid images, allowing the variation in surface to become a major factor in the finished art.

The work is bright and friendly, with many of the images being stylised wildlife and nature scenes. The butterfly of Looks like spring and heady blooms of The last bee make use of the surface well, producing a shimmering effect. It is when the artist breaks free from realism, though, that the work is at its most interesting, notably in the wilful impressionism of Soft kitty and the semi-abstract skyscape of Landlocked.