Santa Monica

Todd Rich is a craftsman at heart who enjoys the challenge of making intricate little clay creatures as much as he likes to build tiny environments for midnight mysteries or underwater adventures. He sets up rather spooky scenes in tableaux and boxes, but his craftsmanship and materials--dark-painted glass, iridescent clay and black-sprayed craggy surfaces--tend to capture the most interest.

Odd little clay forms that might be construed as spaceships or sea monsters glide over dark landscapes in boxes hanging on walls and sitting on pedestals. Their slippery surfaces are broken to reveal a charred, subterranean layer. The center of attraction in one pedestal piece looks like an exotic coral formation, while a tentacled being that stands alone as a sculpture might be a science-fiction version of an octopus. They are entertaining, but once you have checked out all their details, there isn’t much left to think about. (Merging One Gallery, 1547 6th St., to June 4.)