Inga Reed
Inga Reed makes contemporary jewellery in silver and gold. An enduring fascination with nature is at the centre of her work, with a particular interest in the complex organic engineering that underpins animal and plant life. Having moved to the countryside many years ago, Reed takes inspiration from her daily observations in the garden; the vegetable leaves bursting from the earth, the rattle of a drying poppyhead, the repeated pattern of leaf set against leaf, and the yellow wagtail raising its families in a planter. Very aware of the changing seasons and the lifecycle of plants, she notes the tiny burgeoning cotyledon leaves of spring, and the brown, withered seed-heads of winter.
Her workshop window sills are filed with nuts, pods, leaves and seed-heads gathered from the garden and local hedgerows, built up in intricate layers of subtle colour and shape. Reed uses precious metals to interpret these forms, exploiting their strength and their ability to be wrought into flowing curves or hard-edged precision lines.
Her current collection includes a silver forged torc, and a set of rings in silver and gold with embossed leaf and seed motifs.
Inga Reed holds a degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery from Loughborough College of Art and Design.
Collections
Selected Awards
2011 | Embossed Brooch was one of five pieces featured in a special stamp series celebrating contemporary craft in Ireland issued by An Post to mark Year of Craft 2011 |
2008 | Inaugural Craft Council of Ireland Award for Craftsmanship |
Selected Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions and Fairs
2011 | Irish Craft Portfolio, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny; Farmleigh Gallery, Dublin, 21st Century Icons, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, The Maker’s Journey, Kilkenny Arts Festival, SEOID 11, Studio 20/17, Sydney; Pieces of Eight, Melbourne, Australia |
2010 | A Sense of Place, Kilkenny Arts Festival, MATERIALpoetry, The American Irish Historical Society, New York, USA, Irish Craft Portfolio, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny; Farmleigh, Dublin; Kenny Gallery, Galway |
2009 | Organic Geometry, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny |
2008 | Origin, London, UK |
2006-2008 | SOFA Chicago, USA |
2005 | 40 Shades of Green, Glucksman Gallery, Cork; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, UK |
Contact Details:
Inga Reed
Riverhouse, Johnswell
Co. Kilkenny
T. +353 87 2792437
E. inga@ingareed.com
www.ingareed.com