Henk Pander
One of Portland's living legends, Henk Pander, is back with a new suite of watercolors that mix floral still-life and landscape traditions. There's not a person in town who handles paint and draftsmanship better than Pander, even when his subject matter is less exciting than at other times. Laura Russo Gallery, 805 NW 21st, 226-2754, through Sept 2

Black & White
Calling all chromaphobes: This show's got nothing but artists working in (duh) black and white. Said artists include: Terry Winters, Richard Serra, Richard Diebenkorn, Brian Borrello, and more. Pulliam Deffenbaugh, 929 NW Flanders, 228-6665, through Sept 2

East Meets West
Digmeout is one of the most high-profile and successful art agencies in Japan, even though it's located in the very non-Tokyo setting of Osaka. Digmeout has selected one dozen of their artists to show this month at Compound—many of them are exhibiting in the US for the first time. Anyone interested in international contemporary art or Japanese culture would be a fool to miss this one. Compound, 107 NW 5th, through Aug 30

Here + Now
Four non-American artists grapple with the notions of national identity in the rather forgettable little exhibition Here + Now. Hans Haacke's flag piece, printed locally at Mahaffey Fine Art, wins best in show, but next to Dinh Q. Le's terribly disappointing postcard prints, that's hardly saying much. Elizabeth Leach Gallery, 417 NW 9th, 224-0521, through Sept 2

Mermaids, Sailors, and Chicken of the Sea
Cathy Camper holds an unusual title: She is a master of "seed art," the art of creating images out of thousands of lentils and seeds, mosaic-style. She counts Amy Sedaris, Todd Oldham, and the Handsome Family among her fans, she's assisted the material-driven artist Andy Goldsworthy, and her work has appeared in numerous magazines. Based on the photos of her work I've seen, it's fairly astounding stuff. So you might want to check it out. I don't see how it couldn't be fun. Velveteria, 518 NE 28th, 233-5100, through Aug 31

Through Rustling Grasses: Nature in the Japanese Print
It really blows my mind that the museum hasn't promoted this exhibition more: It's a fairly expansive show of prints from masters like Hiroshige and Hokusai spanning the 18th to 20th centuries. The show's completely beautiful, and since it's hardly been hyped, it's the gallery is nice and quiet, too. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, 226-2811, through Sept. 24, $6-10

James and Joey Lavadour
Sometimes I get a little carried away with the "best (blank) in the (blank)" business, but I'll go on the record with this one. James Lavadour is the best painter in the state, and while he's covering a lot of familiar territory in this new show, it's still an astonishing sight: blood meridian cloudscapes, perforated wipes of elm green paint, burning orchards, rolling thunder. His paintings are joined by hand-woven wool hats and baskets in the traditional Plateau style from brother Joey. PDX, 925 NW Flanders, 222-0063, through Sept 2