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Donna Reinsel: Metalwork, Pain Dolls, and the Wonder of Creativity and Healing

Donna Reinsel describes her 40 years of metalwork and steel furniture design, her experience as a welding instructor, and her current figurative sculpture work, which she calls Pain Dolls. The creation of this work is Donna’s way of making sense of her current second cancer diagnosis. She talks about how and why she makes the pieces, the miracle of creativity, and her journey toward acceptance and healing.

Donna creates a unique blend of furniture, lighting, jewelry, and sculpture that is at once whimsical and elegant, lovable and disturbing. She has designed and built her unusual pieces for nightclubs and restaurants, notably RED in Manhattan, Asylum in Beverly Hills, Club Med in the Bahamas, Bertha's in Baltimore, and Thunder Grill, Fogo de Chao, and Perry's in Washington, DC. Her quirky creations are embraced by collectors from New York to Los Angeles, Alberta to Marseille. Andy Warhol's partner owns her "Fauna Candelabra," and the Frances and Sydney Lewis Collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA boasts five of her works. 

     Hollywood has taken an interest in Donna's strange aesthetic as well. Her work has appeared in the films "Batman Forever," "A Vampire in Brooklyn," and "Super Mario Brothers" (word has it that Dennis Hopper grabbed her Medusa Chandelier from that set).

     Donna's gallery shows have been prolific, including ModernAge in Soho, Amaranth in TriBeCa, Gallery I/O in New Orleans, the Gallery of Functional Art in Santa Monica, and Joan Robey Gallery in Denver. Her attention-getting designs have often appeared in the spotlight in publications like Metropolis, the New York Times, House and Garden, Southern Accents, the Washington Post, Details, and Interview.

     Since Donna’s second journey through breast cancer began in May 2024, she’s turned her creativity to making figurative sculptures she calls Pain Dolls to describe her experiences to herself and others. She says, “I make Pain Dolls because I want to see a visual representation of my inner and outer realities. Somehow, they help me make sense of pain and loss, and they heal me. Seeing them so caught helps me feel compassion for myself and for anyone who endures challenges, medical and otherwise. My Pain Dolls help me to accept and understand. Their story is my story.”

     Donna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Design from the University of Maryland, College Park. She teaches Metal Sculpture and Furniture Design at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA and she lives in Downtown Silver Spring, MD.

     You can follow her at:

https://www.instagram.com/donnareinselart/ 

https://www.facebook.com/donnareinsel/  

Portrait photo credits: NJ Snider