It's been five years since Diana Watson has exhibited in Perth. No, she hasn't been idyll, it's just that demands from galleries in the Eastern States, USA, and Italy have kept her busy. And it's no wonder, as viewing her painting is a highly rewarding exercise in art appreciation.

We delight in this artist's well treated surfaces, balanced compositions and use of colour. However a greater satisfaction comes from looking beyond the image to find the mood or message intended by the artist. As with most artforms, what we see is only part of what we get. These excellently painted still life subjects appear, at first glance, to be flawless fruits in ideal settings but as we look further into the image we find hints of life's decadence. The main clue is found in the title of the exhibition.

Watson presents rich, smooth classically worked images that hint of an earlier era when art spoke symbolically. Eden implies perfection, a glorious garden that is bountiful, peaceful and seemingly without flaw. But we know temptation was present too, and that's always the first step to decay. These still life images replicate reality in colour, light and volume, and well painted 'imperfections'. We are drawn to the succulent pears, pomegranates and grapes, rich in ripeness, cascading from baskets and bowls set on shelves. From a distance they seem ideal but when we come up close we see the fruits, and the containers they sit in, are not as flawless as we assumed. We begin to find how some fruits have gone past ripeness to show spots, bruises and signs of decay.

Fecundity exudes from Eden I with its red grapes swollen with juice and pomegranates that have burst to reveal their inner seeds. Even though the fruit overflows the chipped ceramic bowl and surrounding leaves begin to curl in on themselves, there is still hope in the golden light in the distance. Eden II tells us the rot has set in. We find imperfect fruits, an intruding insect, dark leaves that seem to want to smother the contents of the cracked bowl and the distant golden glow has grown dark. And again, Babylon I contains a collection of fruit filling a niche in a terra cotta wall. Babylon II offers the same wall niche but this time it's overstuffed, overflowing with food that has been crammed in too tight. We find ourselves contemplating the thin line between ample sufficiency and over indulgence. Still, both are so beautifully painted we hunger for more.

The paintings are named after opulent cities, each I'm certain have their own decadence, but it is Watson's Luxembourg that keeps calling me back. Here a pile of bright yellow lemons sing to the blue and white bowl in which they sit. Of all the painted fruit on display in this exhibition, it is that one half peeled lemon, with its spiral of rind hanging down, that best displays the artist's excellent skill.

See this exhibition, delight in the splendour, and enjoy being tempted.