Leslie Alan Reynolds

Reynolds, Leslie Alan

Leslie Alan Reynolds, sculptor (b at Edmonton 16 May 1947). Like many contemporary sculptors, Alan Reynolds works in a "constructivist" idiom. His initial work in wood was encouraged in 1973 by American sculptor Michael Steiner, whose influence suited Reynolds's personal vision. In the mid-1970s Reynolds worked with large blocks of laminated wood to create works that resembled walls. Later in the decade he exploited arrangements of flat sheets, often in complex, tablelike configurations. He turned to welded steel early in the 1980s, partly because of the structural limitations of wood. Reynolds adapted his vision to the new material with surprising speed and was soon producing sculptures of cylinder and tub shapes with attached lips and rims fused into the surfaces. As a result, the works inclined towards the expressive devices of functional pottery and traditional sculptural modelling. His most recent works have incorporated strong references to the human form. Reynolds's art has had a considerable influence on younger sculptors in Edmonton. In 1990 a survey exhibition of his work entitled Inner Motifs: Fifteen Years of Exploration was organized by the Edmonton Art Gallery.