The art of Chris O'Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa), like his dual names, has two distinct, even contradictory, personae. There are the highly stylised works and then there are the lovely, little, figurative paintings and drawings of landscapes, roads, houses, storms. One thing they have in common is an acute sensitivity to colour and an assured line. Both of these qualities attest to the artist's maturity.

I visited the S.H. Ervin Gallery in the first week of January to see a retrospective, which included some works that had been in the collection of Patrick White. Today I visited the Watters Gallery in East Sydney to see images of new works that will be hung for an upcoming exhibition.

Miscegenetic Realism, as the show will be titled, will run from 7 March to 31 March. My reason for visiting early is because a lot of the good works are snapped up before the show, and I wanted to get my pick.

Cast Shadow on the F3 (charcoal, colour pencil on paper, 10 x 12cm):



Telegraph poles on the Golden Highway (charcoal, colour pencil on paper, 12.5 x 16.5cm):



Highway cutting - F3 (acrylic on paper, 12 x 19cm):



Shining Road (acrylic on paper, 14 x 18cm):