SANTA MONICA

In his first local solo exhibit since 1981, Sam Francis returns with an eccentric group of paintings that range in scale from 5 feet square to 3 by 2 inches. Although the overall impact of the show seems disjointed and aesthetically unresolved (we get a feeling of collective odds and ends), it does offer insights into his working process. What appear to be instinctual marks, blotches and gestures are in fact produced slowly and deliberately, the exact antithesis to the emotive kinesis usually associated with action painting.

The new work is close to automatic painting, ranging from Zen-like calligraphies of swirling vortices to single-color brush strokes. The miniature-like scale serves to pull the viewer into a microscopic universe where the thick pigments and textures become equally as important as Francis’ usual metaphorical allusions to the cosmic void. This is painting of undoubted energy and technical facility. What prevents it from competing with his best work is its sheer experimental uncertainty, its sense of pushing off onto new paths without really knowing where it is going. (Angles Gallery, 2230 Main St., to Jan. 10.)