Vernon Reinike, a local impressionist artist, recently toured the Strada Patient Care Center to view his work, which is displayed on every floor of the building.
Reinike said he seeks to express the beauty and feeling of nature through his art. He works primarily in acrylic and oil to create impressionistic canvases of landscapes, still life and portraits.
“The pieces displayed at the Strada Center are all very calm and serene,” he said. “I hope my artwork will provide a moment of focus for the patients, helping to take their mind off of any worries, even if just for a second.”
Both patients and employees are enjoying the artwork seen throughout the building. “Everyone loves the painting of the koi pond,” said Joey Baggett, supervisor of radiology and teleradiology at the Strada Patient Care Center. The painting, named “Ann’s Pond,” is broken up into three separate canvases displayed down the length of the hall.
Ashton Hennig, who currently serves as an administrative resident for USA Health, said Reinike’s paintings of Mobile’s cityscape originally drew them to his art. One of his favorite pieces, “Mobile Skyline from Felix’s, Windy Day,” was placed in the radiology waiting area, which overlooks downtown Mobile. “We thought that this was the perfect spot for this painting because you can look out of the windows and see the same buildings that are in the painting,” Hennig said.
According to Reinike, the inspiration for this painting came about while eating at Felix’s Fish Camp. “I was looking out of the window, and I thought the view would make a great painting,” he said. “I asked the waiter for a pencil and paper and sketched it at my table.”
Both “Dauphin at Cathedral Square” and “Sunday Morning on Dauphin” are displayed in the first floor conference center at the Strada Patient Care Center. “We decided to put these paintings in the large conference room because we wanted to showcase Mobile,” Hennig said. “We have hosted local conferences in this room and hope to also host national conferences here in the future. We have received so many compliments on these pieces.”
The Strada Patient Care Center features 10 of Reinike’s pieces, some of which are also on display at the Mobile Museum of Art.
To learn more about the Strada Patient Care Center, visit www.usahealthsystem.com/strada
Learn more about Vernon Reinike here.
