La Cienega Area

Gregory Vose attempts some sprightly turns in a clutch of marble pieces marking his first local one-person show. Small odd forms, witty cuts and generally light-handed treatment of a heavy-duty medium are all good signs.

In “Botticelli,” a white tray-shape perched on a graceful, three-footed metal stand holds a tall, faceted twist of white marble enveloping a ball and--at a distance--a small phallic squiggle lying on its side. “Little Egypt,” a semi-abstract tabletop piece, suggests a reference to the famous burlesque artist via a zig-zag “profile” and peek-a-boo “belly.” But when he reaches for a heavier theme in “Ozymandias,” Vose doesn’t allow the faceted bulky black marble pieces on the floor to be read with sufficient clarity.

Alexandra Benjamin’s paintings and watercolors are mostly of the organic-flow variety, with ribbons of bright color curving through space. A dated approach even in watercolor, where at least technical control is at issue, this imagery has little to redeem it as rendered flatly in acrylic paint, with a few drips and splatters suggesting a timid attempt at improvisation. (Gallery 454, 454 Robertson Blvd., to Feb. 4.)