Santa Monica

A domesticated, gallery-tamed brand of violence informs bronze pedestal sculptures by Laura W. Russell. Jagged triangles bend in half and pierce themselves, and smooth-edged ribbons of metal wind through tattered and hole-ridden metal planes. But most everything is patinated in watery blue, green, rose or yellow, and each self-contained bronze whirlwind sits politely on a small base perched on sleek long metal legs.

Russell started out as a painter, edging into sculpture by working first with paper and then bent plywood. The painted wood pieces eventually grew into massive, aggressive wall sculptures that sometimes included areas of painted wall. But it looks as though a lot of the energy of those works has drained away in the bronzes. Rather than grabbing the space around them, the new works are oddly self-contained. Their spiky edges have the look of calculated, flirty garnishes, their overall structure has been simplified into formula, and even their colors are sweeter. The net effect suggests a guileless bid to woo the interior decorator crowd. (Marilyn Butler Gallery, 910 Colorado Ave., to Aug. 31.)