SANTA MONICA

Local Greg Colson makes his solo debut with mixed-media paintings that probe our rational perception of the universe. He reduces both the real and conceptual worlds to simple charts or blueprints, setting up an equivalence between abstracted city plans, architectural renderings and phrenology charts. Cerebral, natural and man-made landscapes are thus seen as interchangeable and overlapping metaphors, each infringing upon the autonomy of the other.

Colson also blurs his own creative process. By painting and drawing on a variety of surfaces--wood and metal fragments, slate, tile--and drawing attention to the work’s support or frame, Colson raises doubts about the work’s function as a coherent aesthetic whole. This is a tricky balancing act, and while Colson occasionally pulls it off, he often falls into preciousness, exploiting seductive images and materials for their own sake rather than for the inherent contradictions that might make these works more than handsome collectibles. (Angles Gallery, 2230 Main St., to June 13.)