SARAH GREENE REED
On the Dot

This series, called On the Dot picks up where my Well Rounded Series of 2007 left off. Both were created digitally, collaging such disparate elements as fabric, fruit, doodles, bottle caps, zippers, and wire.

In Well Rounded, I questioned the tradition of limiting pictures to a rectangular format by creating a series of oval and circular collages. These collages were then printed on rectangular paper and framed traditionally. In On the Dot, I scrapped the rectangle entirely and made perfectly circular collages to be printed and framed in circles. By tweaking the format, I’m challenging myself to approach composition in a new way.

In addition, On the Dot addresses the formal issue of color. Twelve of the collages are arranged in a circle, mimicking the color wheel while referring to the hours on a clock. Each work is intended to be viewed against others, working with the collage above and below, as well as its diagonal counterpart. Another group of eight collages progress from light to dark, while traveling across the spectrum of color.

In On the Dot, I’m also stretching myself in terms of source material. Feeling a bit removed from the physicality of traditional painting by working digitally, I began reverse painting on glass for fun and found that by scanning the results, I could add a fresh dimension to the work.

The impetus for this show was to focus on the circle. The result, for me, was to look at composition in a new way and to revel in the subtleties of color.