Minimal Window, 1983
Etching, 11 1/2" x 6 1/2"
Nancy Reinke (1931-2009) was born in Chattanooga, TN, and established herself as a professional artist in Alexandria, Virginia, where she kept a studio for 35 years at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Reinke, whose father was the publisher of the Chattanooga New-Free Press, learned typesetting as a child, and was often covered in newspaper ink from playing around the presses. Reinke attended the Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, and went on to study at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Professionally, she specialized in graphic design and commercial art and illustration; as an artist, she drew from this background in her innovative etchings, woodcuts, wood engravings, and oil paintings, as well as her unique handmade books. Reinke’s passion for animal rights and love of cats (she owned over 50 cats throughout her life) can be seen in her vivid use of animal imagery in her often humorous artwork. Her work has been exhibited not only in galleries but also in prominent public institutions such as the Library of Congress and the State of Virginia Legislative Building.