River's Edge Foundry

RIVERS EDGE FOUNDRY
Rivers Edge Foundry, Inc. was established in 1983 by master sculptor Donald L. Reed. Once located in Oregon, Illinois the company quickly established a fine reputation for creating limited edition bronze and silver sculpture.

Now situated on the Rock River in downtown Beloit, Wisconsin, the foundry is located in a facility known as the Ironworks Complex. The foundry strives to wield greener practices, improving on the traditional lost wax casting methods by applying up-to-date recovery and clean manufacturing techniques in all day-to-day operations.


BIOGRAPHY OF DONALD L. REED
Donald L. Reed grew up in Oregon, Illinois where his grandfather had established the Paragon Foundry in 1911. Don and his father collaborated to continue the work of manufacturing piano plates and other iron castings. While the family business was clearly an element of Reed's DNA, he had his own dreams to pursue. At the age of nine, he began sculpting and started classical training with tutor, mentor, and one of his greatest influences– Emma Knowlton Lytle.

From 1963 thru 1967, Reed attended the Thacher School in Ojai, California, where he graduated with a fine arts certificate. From there, Reed pursued a Bachelor's of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He attended Berkeley from '67 to '71, one of the most turbulent times for the city.

In 1970, Donald L. Reed decided to continue his education with a year abroad at the Université de Paris à la Sorbonne. During his time in France, he earned a certificate of language from the Sorbonne and made every effort to experience and study the art in and around Paris.

The path that Don has travelled as an artist has gifted him with many opportunities including working with famed "Dean of American Wildlife Art", Owen Gromme, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Jeff MacNelly, and a chance meeting with Salvador Dali. Reed continued to master his talents through the years and created a style that is uniquely his own, whether replicating the finest details found in nature or creating larger than life iconic monuments. He is an expert at portraits and the representational art of birds, flora, and fauna. Reed is also adept with intaglio and bas-relief.

Recognized by Silver Magazine for his skill and expertise in both silver and bronze casting and metalworking, he is a respected colleague in the fields of restoration, patination, and conservation. He began caring for an extensive list of Lorado Taft's work nearly forty years ago. Other restoration efforts that Mr. Reed has contributed extensively to are as follows: Greber's Tritons and Nereids (private California collection), Ivan Mestrovic's monolithic The Bowman and The Spearman (Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois), and the manufacture of The Madonna atop Notre Dame de Chicago.

Reed has worked with many civic groups and institutions including the Ferguson Fund in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago, curator and collections at the LA County Museum of Art, Washington University Technology Associates, Loyola University and the Chicago Tribune.


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