Eliot Circular

Lloyd Reynolds Leaps From the Page

No strings attached. Lloyd and Virginia Reynolds carved these marvellous (and rather mischievous) puppets sometime in the late 1930s.

Lloyd Reynolds

Lloyd Reynolds, 1961

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Lloyd Reynolds’s calligraphy

Poetry in motion. Undated example of Lloyd’s calligraphy demonstrates the interplay between phrase and stroke.

woodblock print

Dangerous curves. Undated woodblock print of a First Nations mask.

Lloyd Reynolds, the dynamic and controversial artist and teacher who inspired and influenced generations of students, is being honored during Reed’s centennial year in the exhibition Lloyd Reynolds: A Life of Forms in Art. Lloyd’s work as a calligrapher and visual artist, and as an instructor at Reed [English and art 1929–69], is represented by hundreds of items, selected by curators Stephanie Snyder ’91 and Gay Walker ’69 from the Lloyd J. Reynolds Collection in the Hauser Library and the Reed College Art Collection.

During his lifetime [1902–1978], Lloyd maintained a passion for art and literature and a dislike of commercialism. In addition to formal studies in forestry and English literature, he investigated a multitude of artistic, cultural, and intellectual traditions. He was self-taught and daring, which led to original and innovative approaches to course offerings, most notably calligraphy, a beloved Reed tradition based on authentic sources and beautiful writing.

Calligraphy in the exhibition reflects Lloyd’s integrity as a scholar and teacher—his work is precise and illuminating rather than decorative. The show also includes richly carved wood engravings, correspondence with former students and friends, drawings and illustrations, a delightful hand-carved cast of puppets, and a continuous screening of an Oregon educational series recorded in 1976.

Lloyd Reynolds: A Life of Forms in Art runs through June 11 in the Cooley Art Gallery, Hauser Library;

www.reed.edu/gallery.