LaQuincey Reed doesn’t consider himself an artist who’s “made it.” But one look around his downtown Oklahoma City studio, and it’s clear he’s carved out something far more substantial—an identity rooted in resilience, representation and the human figure.
“I started off drawing and painting,” Reed said. “I didn’t really sculpt until I got into college. I think that might’ve been my sophomore or junior year.”
That shift ultimately led him to spend nearly six years assisting on the Oklahoma Land Run Monument. During that time, he was still trying to balance painting and sculpture—until one moment made the choice clear. “I remember being in my apartment, working on a painting, and I just wasn’t progressing like I wanted to,” he said. “I put my paintbrush down and said, ‘I’m gonna focus on sculpting.’”
Reed now works in oil-based clay material that offers flexibility but isn’t built to last. “It can never be the final product,” he explained. “It’ll melt in the sunlight.” Afterward, the sculpture is sent to a foundry where a wax casting is made and used to transform his final work into bronze. “The bronze is the finished product,” he said. “The clay can be reused for the next project.”
Working with bronze presents its own set of challenges and rewards. It’s a labor-intensive process, but the result is a durable and timeless piece of art.
His subject matter always returns to the human figure. “That’s the basis for everything,” Reed said. “Here lately, a lot of my work has been focused on Blacks in the West—Black cowboys, historical and contemporary.”
That focus is evident in recent projects, such as an 8-foot sculpture of civil rights activist Alberta Jones, bound for Louisville, Kentucky; a Native American figure for an apartment complex in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District; and Barney Ford, a formerly enslaved man who became a successful businessman, civil rights leader and advocate for the 15th Amendment, which will go to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He’s also completing a statue of Gayla Peevey—the young singer of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”—for the Oklahoma City Zoo.
Although he has built a solid foundation in Oklahoma, Reed is eager to expand. “I’ve been trying to break into Texas … maybe Kansas,” he said. “You never know who’s going to be interested in what you’re doing.”
Reed said he’s always open to new opportunities and welcomes the chance to connect with potential clients. “I’m always looking for commissions. I’ve had a steady flow since 2021, but I’m always thinking, ‘After this one, what am I gonna do next?’ It never hurts to talk to somebody and see if we can get something together.”
One project he dreams of bringing to life is “The Oklahoma Standard,” a monument that honors the state’s spirit of community and resilience. “I sculpted it about 10 years ago, and have it tucked away on a bottom shelf in my studio,” he said. “It had a woman representing Oklahoma, a child, and people helping one another—emerging from this entryway. Everyone who saw it gravitated toward it. I’d love to do it big; 7- or 8-foot figures. I don’t think there’s anything out there that speaks directly to the Oklahoma standard.”
Reed is building more than sculptures. He’s crafting narratives in clay that speak to identity, history and humanity. “You’re not a robot. You’re not AI. You’re a human being—you’re gonna make mistakes,” he said. “I hope people can appreciate the fact that it was done by a human being.” In every gesture and detail, Reed’s work reflects that belief, rooted in purpose, shaped by hand and always reaching for something more.
