One thing paintings by Susan Aurand and Liza Brenner have in common is that both artists build paintings that extend away from the wall, using what amounts to constructed boxes or compartments to hold their paintings.

Aurand builds framing devices out of wood that are like finely crafted cabinets within which and upon which can be found painted panels and various assembled items such as miniature sculpted bottles and sticks and other items in what I see as a slightly surrealistic but loving ode to the glory of nature.

Brenner's oil and mixed-media paintings are built up with what appears to be layers of epoxy resins. In some she includes drawings of figures cut to shape and paintings of people in interior settings that are physically set within shelves or compartments that are up to three inches in depth.

Brenner, a faculty member in the Art Department at South Puget Sound Community College, is new to Olympia. I enjoyed seeing her work for the first time at Childhood's End Gallery. They are engaging paintings that seem to tell stories without being explicit, leaving it up to the viewer to speculate as to what's going on in these visual scenes of everyday life. She states: "(These) figures from history and pop culture are set adrift against the dark backdrops of contemporary society, creating a powerful commentary on the predicaments of modern life."

In a statement on her website (www.lizabrenner.com), she says of the "compartments" she places her figures in, "I often think of these as actual rooms where something intimate is happening; where we as the viewer are having the chance as the traveler to float by and witness a moment whether it be a moment in the past or present."

Her drawing is loose and free-flowing, with a decided casual look. They call to mind Red Grooms' urban scene painted constructions. The glassy depth of her paintings - both optical and actual - is undeniably attractive, but the overwhelming shininess is distracting.

My favorites are the drawings, especially the drawings that are cut to the shape of the figures and displayed either free-standing on wall or pedestal or combined with the paintings, often stuck on top like paper dolls. She has a wonderfully sure stroke, and the contrasts of heavy line drawings and subtle shading with hints of color is terrific.

I particularly like the two drawings of belly dancers with their free-flowing line and touches of humor. I also like "Gangster," a bust and head of a man wearing a trench coat and hat drawn with black line and washed over in translucent orange in front of flowered wall paper and a bird. What strange and enticing juxtapositions.

I’ve reviewed Aurand’s work many times and have admired her work since first seeing some of her charcoal drawings some 25 years ago. What she’s showing in this exhibition are paintings in oil and acrylic on panels in elaborate wood frames with assembled objects. A typical example is “Rising Again,” landscape paintings on three panels with tiny glass containers holding minuscule rocks, a clock, and what appears to be bones. Two of the landscape panels are almost blindingly bright with sunset colors, and the third depicts a forest of tree trunks in mist painted with a wash of white. This painting is stunningly beautiful.

Also showing are ceramics by Reid Ozki.

Susan Aurand, Liza Brenner and Reid Ozaki, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, through Sept. 4, Childhood's End Gallery, 222 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia, 360.943.3724, www.childhoods-end-gallery.com