 His work commented on numerous formal and pictorial issues of the era, and by combining illusionary space with color field painting, Reilly created a synthesis of geometric abstraction and pictorial depth, which is also referred to as Abstract Illusionism.In 1979 Reilly's work was exhibited in his first solo show in Los Angeles at the Molly Barnes Gallery.That same year, curator Donald Brewer included Reilly's painting in a major museum exhibition entitled "The Reality of Illusion," an international survey of painting and sculpture that explored "trompe l'oeil" in both abstract and representational art.