Santa Monica

Ronald Davis’ fiberglass and molded polyester resin “Dodecagons” look like cheerful old friends now. But in 1968 they were the latest in Davis’ succession of vastly original approaches to painting. Just when people figured there was nothing more to be done with Renaissance perspective, a 31-year-old proved them wrong.

His massive, shaped pieces embody startling perspective illusions, making the likely vantage point of the spectator a matter of conjecture. He sealed his color away behind a glossy veneer, letting viewers peer right into the paintings’ guts.

Of course, these two-decade-old works are awfully seductive too, with their candy colors and paint-chip hues, their Pollock-style skeins of paint drizzles, mirage-like open centers and nifty surprises--like the glimpse into the center of a cosmic game of pick-up sticks in “Spindle.” (BlumHelman, 916 Colorado Ave., to Oct. 14.)