A new exhibit by Jennifer Riley at the Allegra LaViola Gallery is a reflection of the artist’s lucid imagination and a mind propelled forward by emotional responses.

Riley’s most recent endeavor, “Memory from Sight,” opened on March 27 and features paintings, pastels and ink drawings. It is accompanied by an essay written by Stephanie Buchmann, a New York-based art critic, historian and curator. The essay describes Riley’s paintings in great detail, charting the gradual change from her past works to her newer pieces.

“The essay came from a discussion that we were having. My works come out of a language of modern geometric abstraction,” Riley said. “I wanted my paintings to be verbs and to be more dynamic. This is the story [Buhmann] took away and developed into an essay.”

For the past 15 years, Riley has been creating geometrically abstract paintings by focusing primarily on the use of lines, planes and colors. In “Memory from Sight,” she takes these formal elements to innovative new heights by contributing spatial movements to her curving and slithering forms. To further heighten the sense of floating and tethered biomorphic shapes, Riley employs vivacious color palettes that bring her works to life.

Allegra LaViola, the owner of the gallery and curator of the exhibit, has worked with Riley for the past four years. LaViola noted an evolution in the artist’s work despite her consistent way of communicating with her audience.

“[Her work] has definitely changed,” LaViola said. “Jennifer is a master at always using the same language but developing each time and pushing forward to solve a different problem [like] the relationship between space and color and line.”

Riley begins all of her paintings by producing experimental ink or pastel drawings on paper based on fragments of her thoughts. The images she creates usually contain quivering lines that imply slight movements. Then, she assesses her exploratory work and responds to what she sees, often crafting new drawings that result in more boldly grounded shapes and forms. However, the notions of change, flux and fluidity remain intact, and the results are complex and layered movements.

“I develop drawings into larger studies,” Riley said. “After responding to what I see, I develop the drawings further. I usually add and take away color and lines so they get either more dense or more clarified.”

Riley applies this thematic idea of movement to subjects that are not usually associated with free-flowing lines. She draws her aesthetic inspirations from everything around her, whether they are cultural finds, nature or everyday life. Through her artwork, she evokes feelings of movement, traces of her influences and a whimsical feeling in her audience.

“You can really see Riley’s unconventional approach to composition through her paintings,” said CAS freshman Haley Steinberg, who attended the exhibition’s opening. “The complexities of form and color use are obviously intentional. It is almost as if they appeared to the artist in concrete visions.”

“Memory From Sight” is open until April 27 at the Allegra LaViola Gallery, 179 E. Broadway.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 4 edition. Marina Zheng is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].