"Sequins and Skeletons" was the original name for Fox’s "Skating With Celebrities" when the show was to feature Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and the Olsen Twins. Whom Wosk, paradoxically, would vilify.



Infused with references to femininity (read: bathing-suit area) on par with Georgia O’Keefe, Wosk’s basic premise is that a celebration of beauty, especially feminine beauty, is a conduit to stave off having to think about death; exploiting beauty is, yes, like putting sequins on a skeleton.



The word "abundance" is often prescribed to Wosk’s work, and it could refer to not only to the mediums she works in – painting, watercolor, collage, prints – but also the results. It’s no wonder that the penultimate piece in her collection is titled "Cornucopia." "Strange Fruit" or "Mysterious Life Of Objects" are, somehow, cubist in feel even while peppered with oblique peaches and pears.



Though Wosk tends to get trammeled in metaphysical meandering in her descriptions of the work, delving into the ontology of the painted image (viz., her book Sequins & Skeletons) laymen (and, especially with Wosk, laywomen) can get lost in Mandalas and fractals that seem ripe for contemplating while under the influence of some uncontrolled substance – which, coincidentally, the aforementioned celebrities have been rumored to engage in to facilitate their weight loss. And thus, the Mandala is complete.



Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery is located at 5790 Washington Blvd., in Culver City. Museum hours: Tues.–Sat. noon-6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call (323) 297-0600 or visit www.billyshirefinearts.com.