The arrest of the three led police to a house in Raub

Maybe it is my imagination, but there seems to be more works than usual on show at the Suter Art Society's autumn exhibition.

In a quick circuit, the pieces that first made me stop for a closer look were the two highly textured mixed media works by Tania Bostock - Heritage (Evidence of the Past) I and II.

The pair were reminiscent of the painting by John Scott that had hung in almost the same prime spot a few weeks before, In home display evoking large metal plates so real you almost wanted to flick them to see what they're made of (I resisted).

The guest artists made quite different statements by volume alone.
Sue Lund exhibited around 40 works compared to the handful by Sarah Walker-Holt.
Lund's work was vivid and energised - multi-coloured paintings, sculptures, textiles and a mannequin. Some were abstract, others city landscapes.
It was hard to find the focus, apart from the repeated use of mosaics of bright colours. It's a display of technique and vast industry, but not one for quiet contemplation.

Walker-Holt's intention is to press for the evolution of jewellery. She takes non-precious domestic objects and makes them into objects that could be brooches and neckpieces.

Though wearable, (perhaps) that use would probably be making more of a statement about the wearer.

As contemplative objects they don't work for me. Utilising an innovative idea does not necessarily lead to art.
Landscapes by Ross Whitlock, Jean Jackson, Lisa Antonelli, Cara Spekreijse, Mags Meechang and Peter Copp.
The spring and autumn exhibitions are among my favourite occasions at the Suter, providing such a range of local work, some good, some not so good. Energy monitor You can see incremental growth in the work of some artists, sudden leaps forward in others.

They sent their jewellery for cleaning but got suspicious when the products returned much “thinner” than before.
It turned out that a syndicate, which worked in groups, offered free jewellery cleaning services but while washing, they used a chemical that erodes gold from the jewellery. The gold dust collected was then sold.
The customers got suspicious, leading to police busting the syndicate with the arrest of three suspects at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang last Wednesday.

Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) police chief ACP Abdul Rahman Ibrahim said based on information, a team from the Commercial Crime division began investigating the case.

“And, the trail led to the arrest of two Chinese nationals and a local woman at the LCCT,” he said.

“When police detained the trio, they were about to board a flight to China with gold ingots and jewellery worth about RM70,000,” he told reporters, here yesterday.

The arrest of the three led police to a house in Raub, Pahang, believed to be the syndicate’s base of operation. They have been active for the past two years.
“Inside the house, police found jewellery, equipment used for the crafting of jewellery, gas tube, gas cylinder and cash,” ACP Abdul Rahman said.