THE VALLEY

As in work by Edvard Munch, the figures in Shirley Glass’ paintings seem haunted, preyed upon. She describes her work as being about confronting fears within herself and frames her psychodramatic inquiries as quasi-religious parables. In “Adam and Eve in India,” she paints the original honeymooners in the path of a big orange snake, while “Adam and Eve on the Beach at Waikiki” finds the star-crossed couple in the shadow of an ominous black cross.

The traumas Glass struggles with look the result of a heavy religious upbringing. Parties seem to make her nervous too; “Reflections and Deviations Party” depicts a woman in a festive dress anxiously clutching a beer. Exuding the blocky weight typical of work by Max Beckmann, it’s the most skillfully painted picture in the show.

Unfortunately the remainder of her work isn’t quite as focused as this imposing portrait and often resorts to cheap effects--painted figures wearing actual dresses which are gunked onto the surface of the canvas, along with artificial flowers and other bits of flotsam. The plot thickens further via Glass’ melodramatic palette--lots of black, red and gold--and imagery that’s ofttimes heavy-handed.

She makes her point and then some, for instance, in a number titled “Diptych” that centers on a female figure posed for crucifixion. That Glass takes such a deeply personal tack in her work is a promising sign, but her paintings are as yet too clumsily executed to induce much of a catharsis for the viewer.

Also on view is a group show which a flyer describes as “a patriotic and very West-Coast celebration of the centennial of the Statue of Liberty.” Including works in a variety of media by 39 artists, the show is recognizably West Coast in that most of the works are tongue-in-cheek spoofs of Lady Liberty. Curated by L.A. painter Don Lagerberg--who’s as much a humorist as he is an artist--this irreverent sendup is a welcome antidote to the flag-waving hoopla we’ve been subjected to this month; what’s more, Lagerberg’s bust of the late great Elvis sporting Liberty’s spiked headgear says more about America than anything you’re apt to hear on the “Today Show.” (Orlando Gallery, 14553 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, to Thursday.)