These two artists maintain a similar approach to painting. They both produce work in situ and put down in one sitting their experience of interacting with the subject. Their subjects are rural and suburban land, river and streetscapes that are easily available to the Perth based population. The spontaneity of the painting, together with a sense of familiarity with the subject, invite viewers into these large images.

There is a strong sketch like character to Smith's compositions but all are held stable by solid underlying design. Baigup is quite loose as the preliminary idea, drawn in charcoal, wears only a thin wash of colour. The subject is a section of wetland located between Maylands and Bayswater and this whisper like approach to painting it reminds us these places are fast disappearing.

Although the charcoal bones of the work are also visible in Shoalwater and Leake Street, these images are more structured. Here the juxtaposition of rectilinear objects (houses, pavements) and organic shapes (trees) that are put down in strong contrasting colours provide interest. The open foreground of Shoalwater  permits entry to the back yard scene while the zig-zag of driveway, footpath and road in Leake Street allows us to safely navigate the image.

Knorr's  work is equally spontaneous however it appears less like a sketch as he draws with the brush. His 'get it down fast' approach is obvious in Respray where the activity in a plane hanger emerges from a collection of rapid brushstrokes.  Less frenetic is Toodyay, a landscape of sun yellow grass, dark green scrub and thin grey tree trunks. Despite the hot dry subject, the composition is inviting as the artist hints at a path through the dead trees. Quite the opposite in temperature is Ashfield, a soothing image overlooking a stretch of blue river to the distant verdant bank and a cloud filled sky. Both these images capture the mood, as well as the facts of the scene.

But it is Breaking the News, a quiet and still image that takes us out of the landscape and into our own imagination. It shows a simple suburban house at night, with the front light left on. The viewer approaches the veranda and it's up to each one of us to decide if the news we bring, in the middle of the night, is good or bad.

Most viewers will relate to these paintings of familiar subjects as they evoke memories of another time, another place thereby allowing us to form our own narratives.