Isabel Bigelow’s paintings demonstrate layered and sensitive surfaces that translate her daily observations into visual meditations. She was known for her attentive process: adding several coats of gesso and delicate layers of thinly applied oil paint that she gently burnished. The result was a smoothly finished painting that vibrates with the hum of nature’s energy. Shadows across the floor, leaves overhead and ripples on a lake surface are abstracted. Bigelow’s buzzy surface treatment creates balance, giving equal weight to the foreground’s objects and the spaces between.

Bigelow grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and lived and worked in upstate New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Religion from Harvard University (1989) and went on to study painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she received her Master of Fine Arts (1998).

Isabel Bigelow’s relationship with Reynolds Gallery spans nearly three decades, beginning with her first solo exhibition in 1997. Our 2025 exhibition Spaces Between marked her eighth solo presentation with the gallery and stands as a poignant tribute to an artist who shaped both the gallery’s identity and the Richmond arts community. Isabel’s work was not only widely collected, but deeply cherished, and her steadfast commitment to Reynolds Gallery played an instrumental role in the gallery’s success. Her friendship and support were a profound source of pride for Bev Reynolds. We are grateful to Isabel’s family for their continued support and entrusting us with the privilege of sharing Isabel’s legacy.

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