Working mostly in oils and watercolours, over the course of her career as a painter, Ruma Nowaz has built up a stunning collection of the evocative abstracts and misty, nostalgic landscapes that have become her signature style, presented here for her first solo exhibition at Karamel. Among the works shown are newer pieces, such as the continuing series of local landmarks, and older paintings, which perfectly demonstrate Nowaz’s ability to create subtle drama in sea of intense darks and placid lights, the interplay of which makes up much of her oeuvre. Water, and colour all feature prominently; indicative of the artist’s Indian heritage and London surroundings, and a need to immerse herself in the vibrations and colour of nature, conveying through her art an essence of that world, and expressing her response to enclosed natural spaces.

For the audience the works are intriguing to the point of almost hypnotic, drawing the eye with the suggestion of a figure, or sweeping, all-engrossing brushstroke. Even the perceived ambience of Nowaz’s more vague semi-abstract canvasses belies an unmistakable glimmer of life, which can add a world of unexplored thoughts and reactions to the piece.