WORK OF THE WEEK: Abigail Reynolds, Small Green Roundel, 2019
Abigail Reynolds
Small Green Roundel, 2019
Roundel of glass made from seaweed and beach sand, blackened steel stand
Roundel diameter: 31 cm x 12 ⅕ in.
Overall: 45 x 47 x 27.5 cm / 17 ⁷⁄₁₀ x 18 ½ x 11 in.
£ 6,600
Working from her studio in Porthmeor, St Ives, Abigail Reynolds draws from the Cornish landscape and its rich cultural heritage. Inspired by ancient Cornish customs, such as burning seaweed to use in glass making or beating the bounds, the artist adopts age-old practices to convey contemporary messages. She reuses found glass, or her own handmade glass, to create lenses through which the landscape beyond can be seen in a new light.
In September 2019, having spent a summer gathering sand and seaweed, a furnace was built at Kestle Barton, Cornwall, to melt these simple materials into glass. By presenting the glass in basic forms of roundels or sheets that you can look through, Reynolds evokes a renewed closeness to our landscape. Small Green Roundel was made using sand from Bosahan, on the Helford River. The Helford is a ria, a drowned river valley, and minerals wash downstream into it from the woods and fields. It is iron that gives the deep olive green tint to this glass, so close to the colour of kelp.
Left: Stele II, 2023, Acid washed and black oiled galvanised steel frames, laser cut mirror polished marine grade steel
188 x 88 x 52 cm / 74 x 34 ½ x 20 ½ in.
Centre: Small Green Roundel, 2019
Right: Stele III, 2023, Acid washed and black oiled galvanised steel frames, laser cut mirror polished marine grade steel
188 x 65 x 55 cm / 74 x 25 ½ x 21 ½ in.
