HIS DARK MATERIALS

“Macabre” is how Los Angeles-based painter Steve Hurd describes his latest exhibition, now on display at Santa Monica’s Rosamund Felsen Gallery: “It’s about the dark times we live in.” This theme is echoed in Hurd’s “R.I.P.” series, depicting blurry, pixelated images of American flag-draped coffins culled from real-life photos. And then there’s “The Devil Is in the Details” (pictured), a damning work quoting ex-military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell’s attempt to put a positive spin on the Iraq war. “They’ll say these outrageous things, and it’ll be in the paper for a day, then everybody forgets about it,” Hurd explains. “I didn’t want it to go away.” Ends March 30, rosamundfelsen.com