Santa Monica

Camille Cornelius introduces herself with a show of crusty abstractions concerned with the notion that life--and art--is a mass of contradictions. The idea comes through quite clearly to those who find beauty in peeling paint or hope in a weed that bursts into flower through cracked pavement. Cornelius’ muddy palette and unkempt surfaces are civilized by a strong sense of organization and the light touch of incised lines and arrows.

Working in thick oil and mixed media, she lays out big chunks of space--blocks pushing against each other or rectangles punctuated by checkerboard sections. Some paintings appear plain, but all are full of incident. Glimpses of underpainting, out-of-kilter borders around colored shapes and lines that run loose keep us looking. (Merging One Gallery, 1547 6th St., to April 6.)