There is always a section of the population in any town or city that maintains the 'grass is greener' attitude. Due to their belief that somewhere, anywhere else is more interesting then their own home town, they no longer see the reality of what is around them. It usually takes a visitor to show us how interesting our 'ordinary' can be, if you just look with a subtle shift in your perception. In this exhibition, Melbourne based artist Ronald John Neal reveals how Perth is indeed an interesting city, of lights, people and places.

Neal takes us through public parks, local haunts and private moments in his response to the living, breathing city. His nocturnal works capture the mood of different spaces, places and the casual attributes of their inhabitants. We glimpse monumental sights and trivial scenarios, bright lights and dark shadows, all defined with rich hues and spontaneous brushwork.

I do like the way the artist captures the milling of people waiting for the start of either a night out or the journey home. Neal records only a fleeting glimpse of the individual and in doing so, captures the reality of the crowd. His blurring of detail gives the group a sense of movement, not one of speed rather subtle activities; tilting the head or shuffling of feet. This is exemplified in the series Taxi Queue.  I was certain when I revisited each of these three works, some of figures in the composition had shifted their weight or moved up in the line. Also appreciated is the contrast between the milling of colourful crowds against the stillness of architecture. And how a closer look at the windows of the solid buildings in Rendezvous at the Subi and Llama Bar Crew reveal them to be delightful little abstracts of movement and colour. But then, isn't that what you'll find inside these places?

Neal's perusal of the City of Lights also includes viewing the metropolis from South Perth. Here the colourful lights of the city are echoed in the water to present an intriguing contradiction of sorts. The small spots of bright colour that flicker from the buildings, when reflected on the river's surface, are transformed into underwater pylons of rich hues.

Also much appreciated is the subtle narrative in Lest We Forget which depicts the flame and the monument in Kings Park. And the 'portrait' of a Morton Bay Fig standing strong and still in the night air in Twilight at Hyde Park. It owns a sense of quiet strength as it reaches out to protect those who sit beneath it.

It would seem that Ronald John Neal sees Perth as an interesting and exciting place. Through his art, he has shown us a different way of looking at our city and in doing so reminds us that 'Dull' is, like beauty, only in the eye of the beholder.