Mark Reynolds & Carol Reynolds

Our goal is to create art where form follows function. We begin each design by experimenting with mirrors that can be cut and configured to create an infinite number of unique kaleidoscopic illusions…all variations of triangles and squares. Then, we design a wood “delivery system”. In each case, the wood on the outside reflects the mirror assembly inside. To make our scope interactive, we build oil-filled viewing chambers that contain our flame-worked glass, dichroic glass (for pizzazz), shells, and anything that helps to make a mesmerizing image. Success, for us, is when folks are attracted to our wood sculptures and then are amazed when they look inside. Here’s how it started: I migrated to Austin, TX from Streator, IL to begin my education in Biology and ended up studying English Lit at the University of Texas. My brother Peach and I found a way to supplement our income by making handmade kaleidoscopes and selling them on the drag, a street market adjacent to the campus. As pioneers in a kaleidoscope renaissance that was just starting to catch hold, we forged a partnership that evolved into a real business. Our first scopes had an endearing quality due to their handmade nature, but with the discovery of first surfaced mirrors and the vast improvement in clarity they provided, image quality became the benchmark for the future of kaleidoscopic appreciation. We continued to design and build very unique scopes like the Camerascope and the Electrascope. In 1989 Peach decided to pursue other interests. I continued on my mission to create kaleidoscopes as stellar as I could imagine. Fortunately for me, and at about the same time, Carol made the fateful decision to join me spiritually and businessly (and eventually legally). Now a team, we pushed forward to build an empire known today as kaleidovisions.com! As the daughter of a decorated navigator in the United States Air Force, she has been instrumental in guiding me towards the goal of designing scopes that are totally unique. Together, we still create and build all of our kaleidoscopes by hand.