There is something irresistible about the best of Rona Dyer's wood engravings. Take, for instance, Cat in Garden, first printed in 1947. This cat may well be sitting in someone's garden, but the setting looks rather wild: a river curves just behind the subject, and trees grow tall in the distance. At first glance, the cat seems enclosed, by angular rocks and blooming tiger lilies in the foreground, yet-to-bloom flowers, tussocks, and those trees behind. But this feline is in control: she stares back at us (or perhaps just beyond us—it is a cat, after all), the queen of her domain, the grassy landscape echoing her fur. If the front paws are crossed in just a slightly awkward way, or if she seems to float above rather than sit solidly on the tussock, these slight imperfections only add to the charm of the whole.

was one of 18 images that appeared in , Caxton Press's 1948 volume showcasing works by the 25-year-old Dunedin artist. Two years earlier, Caxton had published E. Mervyn Taylor's , suggesting the distinguished company that Dyer was keeping. Both volumes were printed by Leo Bensemann from the artists’ original blocks. In terms of national popularity, it was arguably Dyer's high-water mark, although she would go on to create a significant body of work across various media. The inclusion of three of her engravings in the exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū (11 February-28