Artist Statement:
'Your style is the way you talk in paint… To paint is to know how to put nothing on the canvas, and have it look like something when you stand back.' Robert Henri

While having been described as an impressionist, I feel that the spirit of the work must be revealed in its own manner… my landscapes tend to be more impressionistic and figurative work tends to be more tonal in realization. Color varies from strong and intense, to muted and understated, depending on the work. My favorite teachers are from the 19th and early 20th century, comprised of the diverse lessons of Monet, Renoir, Chase, Inness, Henri and Sargent.

My personal approach and intention is best summed up by Robert Henri in his book The Art Spirit in the following quotes: 'When the artist is alive in any person... he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for better understanding... A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle… What we need is more sense of the wonder of life, and less of the business of making a picture. ...art is, after all, only a trace – like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness.'

Description of Work:
Excerpted from Interesting People of Ocean Springs by Ray L. Bellande

"While at USM, Reinike studied art with Dr. Charles Ambrose. His knowledge of plein air painting was acquired while a student of Charles Richards of New Orleans, and watercolor with John Gaddis and Doug Walton. Liberally self-taught, Reinike has an extensive knowledge of both the French and American painters of the 19th Century Impressionist movement. He has lectured on and taught his technique of using the color spectrum palette to many art enthusiasts on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. (The Sun Herald, June 27, 1993, p. F-1 and G.E. Ohr Museum Guide, December 1-31, 1998)

"Reinike works primarily in acrylic and oil to create impressionistic canvases of landscapes, still life, and portraits. His paintings represent the experience of the artist conveyed in a visual language that can be observed and emotionally experienced by the viewer. Vernon R. Reinike has probably been the most prolific artist to recreate the landscape of Ocean Springs on canvas. His 1987 exhibit, A Visit to Ocean Springs, and 1989, Shearwater Pottery, are municipal treasures which will be lauded by future historians as a visual record of this city in the late 20th Century."

Education & Training:
Studied art at the University of Southern Mississippi under Professor Charles Ambrose

Studied oil painting with the noted artist, the late Charles Richards of New Orleans, and watercolor with John Gaddis and Doug Walton.

Mr. Reinike’s interests are broad in spectrum and include landscapes, figurative works, portraits, and still life. This award-winning painter is represented in private and public collections. One of his "Round Island" paintings is included in the collection of the U.S. Interior Department. The artist’s interest in discovering extraordinary meaning and beauty in everyday life, and man’s relationship with Nature, is reflected in his oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings.

Mr. Reinike maintains a studio in his turn-of the-century Victorian home on Porter Street in Ocean Springs, MS, and also at St. Joan of Arc Studios on Ann Steet, in Mobile, AL.

Affiliations & Awards:
Multiple awards over a 25-year period, including Best of Show, in such organizations/ events as Artwave, Ocean Springs Art Association, Singing River Art Association, Mississippi Magazine competition, Toast to the Coast.

Recent Performances / Publications / Expositions:
Mississippi Magazine
Mississippi Outdoors Magazine

Price Range: $100 - $5,000

Gallery Representation:

Maggie May’s

126 Main St.

Bay St. Louis, MS 39520