Wilshire Center

James Hueter continues to pursue his career-long fascination with the edge. In painted constructions he seamlessly abuts two school-of-Diebenkorn panels against a very thin central filament of glass through which we see strips of copper or surfaces painted in hushed hues. In smaller mixed-media works, thin silvery edges organize dry crusty pigment into suggestions of brow, nose and woeful eyes.

Hueter isn’t after the edge of Malevich or Newman or even Rothko, but some ubiquitous expressive/structural common denominator that underlies everything from landscape to physiognomy. That’s a hefty agenda and the work often falters under the weight. The real surprise comes from bright, light-hearted watercolors of the forests and houses around Hueter’s vacation retreat. (Tobey Moss, 7321 Beverly Blvd., to May 30.)