Artist's Statement

It is hardly surprising that I pursued a career in art since I spent my earliest years working with my parents, who were both artists, and in the company of their friends who were also artists, designers, art collectors and patrons of the arts. Most children play with modeling clay, but the noted sculptor Albert Rieker gave me my first clay - the kind he used to create his monumental works!

I began my career painting watercolor landscapes, but I also worked as a muralist. Architectural elements were an important part of that work. The large scale of the murals readily translated into the large canvases I now use.

Over the years, I had the opportunity to restore ecclesiastical art in a number of old churches in New Orleans. This often involved research into religious symbolism. Later, I was commissioned to do original artwork for churches and for synagogues. This was a natural path for me, since in addition to my art studies, my formal education had centered primarily on the study of Philosophy and Ancient Greek Language.

One of my earliest solo exhibits dealt with "Genesis" and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. It was a number of years, though, before these experiences solidified into a direction for me. My interest in philosophy and metaphysics slowly found a voice in various works as I began experimenting along the way.

Watercolor gradually gave way to oils in my search for a certain timelessness to deal with where Man has been and where He is going. I have continually developed techniques that allow me to create art works of that are not limited by traditional materials and that are uniquely appropriate to their settings.

I search for beauty and harmony, but my paintings also have a message for the viewer. Over the past thirty years, I have developed my own style and symbols. My works include paintings, pewter bas-relief, pewter functional pieces, pewter jewelry, fired-enamel-on-copper, painted murals, fired-tile murals, serigraphs, and wood carvings. In addition to commissioned work, I have produced thirteen one-man exhibitions.

-Charles H. Reinike III

Charles H. Reinike III

Charles H. Reinike III is a painter, sculptor and gallery owner. He was born in New Orleans in 1947 to Charles and Vera Reinike, both of whom were artists. He has worked as an artist since 1970 and always uses at the end of his name to distinguish himself professionally from his father.

The rich cultural heritage of New Orleans gave Reinike an appreciation for aesthetics and history. Reinike's mother, Vera, trained him in the disciplines of restoration, faux finishes, and the decorative arts. His father taught Reinike painting technique, and together they developed the pewter techniques Reinike uses for his metal creations, today.

Reinike attended St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM and LSU in Baton Rouge, LA. He worked as a sculptor's assistant in the Art Department at LSU under Armin Scheler, a demanding and respected professor who encouraged him to pursue his love of sculpture. Believing that art requires thought as well as technique, Reinike opted for a degree in Philosophy with concentrations in Ancient Greek Language and Fine Art.

Upon graduation, he began to work with his father on large commissioned works, at first as an apprentice and later as a partner. In 1971, Reinike and his wife, Edna, assumed the ownership of the gallery that his parents had founded in 1930. They expanded its scope, and in 1988, they relocated the gallery to Atlanta, where it remains.

Over the years, Reinike produced paintings, murals, functional art and sculpture for public spaces and private homes. He restored a number of important works in historic buildings in New Orleans, where he once lived. The large scale of murals and the understanding of historic elements directly influenced his choice of subjects in his paintings and the techniques he uses today.

In recent years, Reinike has declined most commissions and has concentrated instead on his paintings and his pewter creations. He works daily in his Atlanta studio.