How does one evaluate a small town? Drive through it taking note of the number of parks and which buildings are in need of repair or stop and survey the locals? Either way you're on the outside looking in. The only way to really understand a place is to watch the people watching you watch them. That's when a dialogue takes place and they tell you what's important, to them.

Linda van der Merwe left her studio to watch the local folk and sketch them. They watched her, invited her into their world and communication ensued. The result is an exhibition of fine drawings and paintings that reveal the connections, the ties that bind people to each other and a place, a portrait of a community.

The artist provides a small blurb next to each exhibit telling us something about the subject or how each work came to be. Thankfully there is no attempt at myth making, just footnotes as to who, what, where and when. Although the words help bring the exhibition into focus as a whole, each work stands sturdily on its own merits.

In the small acrylic paintings, van der Merwe uses colour to set the mood. Uniform red shirts on mother and daughter in Stacking the Shelves suggests warm teamwork, the polychrome clutter of Edna's Sewing Room evokes a happy environment, and the coolness of the Boot maker amid the warm hues of his work room defines the confidence of a craftsman. These little gems invite us to come up close and be introduced to the people.

The large pastel drawings reveal van der Merwe's expertise with this medium. The Baker Boys adeptly displays the strength and speed needed to knead the dough while layering of colours and mark making provide an interest in the drawing that exists over and above subject matter. The annotation for The Baker Boys tells us how van der Merwe, while working on another sketch, caught the attention of the lads on their way home from work. After an exchange of information the artist was invited to sketch the bakers in situ, at 3 AM. The experience provided a learning curve for all concerned.

And that's what makes this exhibition extraordinary. Van der Merwe has learned much about her community, from the people she sees around but knows little about, and these people in turn have learned much about artists in the community, and what that involves. The viewer learns about the vital threads that weave the patterns in a community; Paula's Cake is baked by the daughter of Mavis Pearce, who shares memories with a generational peer over Morning Tea.

More importantly we are reminded that bureaucrats and scholars may statistically define the value of a town, but its true worth is found in the everyday stories of it's people, while the living history they hold in their hearts defines its sense of place. Van der Merwe has evaluated her community highly and as a result the community recognizes the value of its artists.