WILSHIRE CENTER

The formal vocabulary of Herb Elsky’s cast resin sculpture hasn’t changed all that much from previous exhibitions. Pyramidal triangles, smooth fragments of circles and jagged-edged spheres are still major components of his abstract pictorial vocabulary. Yet Elsky has made subtle alterations in his work that make it seem less precious and fussy. He has used roughly surfaced shapes in the past, but now they take precedence over refined geometry. By revising his sculpture in this way, Elsky has infused resin with a quality akin to chunks of stone or ice. In turn, the logic of the smooth forms becomes more persuasive--as if each piece is a metaphor for the interplay of natural form and the alterations that the sculptor can perform upon it.

However, Elsky’s sculpture doesn’t articulate only formal concerns, but spiritual ones as well. As his titles inform us, Buddhism is the animating force in his art. The upright, vaguely spherical presence of “Buddha” is like an illuminated penumbra while the large scale triangle of “Karma” is, according to Elsky, shaped like the symbolic Tibetan dagger meant to eradicate ignorance and evil.

The cool elegance of cast resin still partially subverts some of his ambitions. The finish-fetish technique derived from DeWain Valentine’s and Craig Kauffman’s work doesn’t quite mesh with Elsky’s intense spiritualism, but his work has transcended some of its liabilities. (Jan Baum Gallery, 170 S. La Brea Ave., to Jan. 31.)