Critiquing somebody's work more-especially when you don't know where he or she comes from can prove to be a difficult work and that is exactly what happened when this writer had to look at Christopher Mokgeledi's artworks currently displayed at Thapong Visual Arts Centre.

The painter specialises in brightly and strongly coloured paintings that depict wildlife and everyday activities and his pieces are exhibited under the theme, Preserving Culture, Heritage and Tourism.

The exhibition is most certainly going to draw mixed reviews from viewers because there are impressive paintings and then there are some that are greatly disappointing.

One of the paintings that is worth checking out at the exhibition is Around The Okavango, which showcases a cluster of baobab tree captures at twilight. The framed picture is likely to get a buyer. Like all the other paintings at the exhibition, it is acrylic on canvas.

Patience depicts a leopard hidden in lush grass by a waterfall. Although the animal seems to be resting after a busy day, the title seems to suggest that it is actually lying in wait for a prey. Patience is easy on the eye though.

The Spill is another piece worth checking out. It showcases water spilling from traditional water-pots and gourds silhouetted against the open nightly sky.

While it seems the artist specialises in realism , some of his works at the exhibition are semi-abstract and some of the impressive semi-abstract pieces include the brightly coloured Window Level, The Jar and The Bird. Window Level is arguably the most impressive semi-abstract piece at the exhibition.Other pieces worth checking out include Sexy, Reflections, I Can Fly, Book Worm, Dinkgwana, Something Coming and Searching For Water.

Sexy showcases a skimpily dressed San hunter presumably spying at animals from a hilltop. While Sexy is not necessarily well crafted, it is the title that is likely to cause a stir. Some of the viewers are going to ask themselves, what is sexy about a skimpily dressed San hunter while others might concur that the hunter is indeed, sexy given his well-toned muscles.

Book Worm is another piece that is not quite impressive but once you have a look at it, you can't help not being inspired by the studious young boy who uses the light from the fire at the cooking-place to read while his mother on the other hand is using the same fire to prepare dinner.

Searching For Water is better looking than Book Worm and Sexy. Interestingly it showcases some elephants drinking water from traditional water-pots. One can safely say that it is a nature-meets-tradition piece.

Something For Dinner depicts leopards stalking some antelopes thus the title.

As mentioned before, some of if not most of Mokgeledi's works are disappointing. His portrayal of some animal and human figures is really poor in some of the paintings.

One painting, which is in poor taste, is On The Job, which showcases a family of three going about their daily business. The woman is sitting by the hut sifting corn and the man is driving a donkey-cart while a girl-child is watching. This writer has seen artists who can paint better looking figures.

The Attack is another below par because of a couple of reasons. The painting depicts some leopards attacking three impalas. While the impalas are not bad looking, the artist did a shoddy job with all the leopards in the painting because their original outlines are visible.

Another thing is that this writer has always been under the impression that leopards and cheetahs unlike lions hunt for medium-sized antelopes not big one like impalas.

It seems like the painter really likes capturing the magic of sunset in his works as a number of his painting depict sunset.

This writer has also observed that the painter mostly draws from his mind unlike some artists who use pictures from magazines and newspapers for inspiration.

While he is most definitely safe from being sued for copyright infringement, sometimes it is wise to know a bit about your subjects so that you make a true portrayal of them.

Mokgeledi has an open studio along the Broadhurst road opposite Tsholofelo Park where he says that drivers are always amazed by his paintings. His exhibition at Thapong is his first exhibition in a gallery and he says that it is a challenge for him to mount it.

What can one say except to encourage art-lovers to support the likes of Mokgeledi who certainly need support from fellow Batswana so as to be able to better their craft. The artist also deserves a pat on the back for his effort in making a move to interact with art-lovers and fellow artists through this exhibition. Preserving Culture, Heritage and Tourism exhibition is sponsored by Thapong Visual Arts Centre and OP Designs. It ends on May 2.