The Natalie Bush Gallery (908 E St.)...

The Natalie Bush Gallery (908 E St.) is showing four alabaster sculptures and a school of alabaster fish by Doron Rosenthal.

The last, suspended overhead from filament, is the most problematic of the group. Although the colors of the material are appropriate to the subject, its weight introduces an extraneous concern that distracts from the illusion of lively, swimming fish.

A contradiction of the weight of alabaster appears also to be a concern of the artist in the elegant, vaginal-shaped “I Saw a Bone Like That Once,” which is supported at eye level by a simple length of pipe.

“Medusa” bears no resemblance to the famous snakelike head held by Cellini’s “Perseus” in the loggia of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, but its great, sinister gray and white contours do arouse a sense of loathing. The low, tablelike “Maelstrom” resembles the ocean surface, or perhaps a storm with a quiet but threatening center. In both works, Rosenthal exploits the contrasts of polished and unpolished areas of stone.

The unpolished “Stone Shell,” the most engaging of the works, looks like a large, fossilized snail sitting on the floor.

At this stage in his career, Rosenthal seems to be more involved in exploring the nature and potentiality of the material rather than in using it to express his own vision.

The exhibit continues through Jan. 24.

The Grove Gallery at UC San Diego is exhibiting many useful ceramic objects by visiting artist Kenichi Saito.

The glazed forms combine peasant directness with aesthetic sophistication.

The exhibit continues through Feb. 7.

“Designworks: Elements of Contemporary Style” is the second of a continuing “Artistspace” series at Southfair shopping center in Del Mar (2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd.).

The exhibit, curated by Steven Reiss and Eric LaBrecque, features the works of artists, designers and architects who want to express themselves as total artists bridging the separation between design and fine art.

The works appear on a 180-foot-long “art wall” designed by Southfair co-owner Herb Turner “as a means of popularizing the viewing and discussion of artworks.” The “art wall” is actually a series of traditional, shallow display windows containing art instead of merchandise.

It’s an admirable idea, as is Turner’s desire “to expand everyone’s awareness of the total art community in this city.” He makes the point that there are many centers of art in San Diego.

Nevertheless, the “art wall” presents certain problems that should be corrected for future exhibits. Glare from the glass is a given, but attention to placement of the works would help viewers see them more easily. The window frames are also a given, but no work of art should be installed in such a way that it is visually cut in two, as is a fine and sensitive painting by Ron Wiggington. The placement negates the effectiveness of the work, insults the artist and frustrates the viewer.

Imaginative curators can and should work with and around such inconveniences.

The most successful and imaginative expression of the general theme of uniting design and fine art is the work of David Fobes. On view are models of his “torqued” bookcases. “Can you imagine a bookcase like this?” he asks. “Please turn off the VCR in your head, pay attention to your imagination!”

He also exhibits a complex, mixed-media altar and a group of drawings whose integrity as works of art is unrelated to whether or not what they depict might be realizable as furniture. Fobes is emerging as an artist of exceptional intelligence, vision and skill, and maybe even brilliance.

Two works of great beauty are Joyce Cutler-Shaw’s “Wingwall” and “Alphabet of Bones,” which express her continuing interest in birds as messengers for humankind and metaphors for artists. They are works of fine art, which incidentally may function with architecture. Shaw, who has been receiving international attention, is one of the most poetic artists in our midst.

Fred Lanz and Robert Niedringhaus link design to fine art through direct reference to De Stijl painter Piet Mondrian, whose geometric compositions in primary colors have inspired a series of small chests of drawers.

John Nalevanko sees furniture design as an extension of his architectural practice. The chair he exhibits distantly resembles Chicago’s famous large Picasso sculpture. It’s handsome but does not look comfortable.

Architect Barry Bell’s painted screens, small “trophy” sculptures and women’s belts epitomize the problems of artistic dabbling. They are the works of a dilettante.

Also on exhibit are a handsome sculpture by Alice Culbert, neon sculptures by Rick Berggren and a lamp and a clock by Steve Lombardi.

The show continues through March 2.