Some artists use ink and paint as their medium of choice. Some use photography. Some use clay. San Francisco artist Liz Hickock uses Jell-O.

"In some photography and art, you get a sense that you've seen everything before," says DeSantos Gallery owner Gemma DeSantos. "But I had never seen something like this before."

Hickock molds the jiggly dessert into colorful models of famous buildings, including the White House and the skylines of New York and San Francisco. The models are lit from below, creating a multi-colored urban landscape that washes together. Photos of her work will be on display beginning Saturday, when the gallery will host a reception with the artist.

DeSantos met Hickock a few years ago, when the artist was at Photofest. DeSantos said she found Hickock's colorful structures both beautiful and amusing. "I had never before seen someone doing something that is a lot of fun and also strikingly beautiful," she says.

Though it was the playfulness of the art that grabbed DeSantos' attention, Hickock finds in the sweet medium a metaphor for fragility. "Once I began building my own model cities out of Jell-O I found that the jiggly, iconic childhood dessert is not only perishable, but also uncontrollable," Hickock says on her website. "Each time I take a picture of one of my cityscapes any building may begin to sweat or even liquefy, taking on a new persona."

Reception with Liz Hickock is 5:30 to 8 p.m. June 25. 1724 Richmond Ave. Visit www.desantosgallery.com or call 713-520-1200 for information.