Edge Of Light
Signed Print

Composed of several pastel-hued colours, black stripes appear at semi-regular intervals in Edge of Light to contain and break the orchestrated, horizontal colour scheme. White is also used to create both ‘pauses and clearances’, This also accentuates the vibrant accents of the other hues. Like Riley’s other works featuring stripes, the form and composition is simple, yet the results are profoundly moving. Impersonal, and seemingly unrelated to the world, these works are grounded in geometric abstraction. However, there is latent meaning embedded within: the work is never intended to be an end in itself, but a medium through which each viewer has a subjective experience, influenced by their own understandings.

By experimenting with basic structural units, such as vertical stripes, in her works, Riley explores the physical and psychological responses of the eyes, and the effects colour can have on emotions. In this sense, the selected colour palette is vital to and intensifies the visual effect of the work.