On the second level

Amidst the hustle and bustle surrounding the forging of sculpture at the Art Foundry Gallery, it’s easy to forget that exhibited work reaches up those stairs, too, across from its doors inside the building at 1021 R Street. On a recent visit, there were some pretty interesting pieces on display upstairs (until June 4). Albert Hwang’s “Requiem for Spring” evoked abstract expressionist Clyfford Still’s color-focused works, where hues flow next to each other on the canvas. But Hwang takes it further with a thick application of acrylic paint, so the colors ooze together in a shiny, sticky, wet-looking mélange, without dissolving into a murky mess. There’s no paint in Ben Kaiser’s “Triad”—only polished stainless steel, glass and river rock. The artist groups the distinct mediums in an assemblage that juxtaposes hard, manmade surfaces with organic shapes that have been polished and worn by the elements. For more information, call (916) 444-2787.