James Rettinger

“I explore junkyards and lake shores for findings that suggest nature’s decay and regeneration, as well as a reflection of my own humanity.” 

-James Rettinger 

James Rettinger (1935-2019) was an artist and beloved art teacher at Seneca Valley High School, who retired from teaching after 38 years. 

Students called him Rett and loved his sense of humor, quirkiness and enthusiasm. Rettinger was encouraging to students who showed interest in the arts. He was always delivering student work to public exhibitions, helping to procure special art supplies for students pursuing independent projects or organizing visiting artist projects to foster new inspiration. He was an advocate for careers in the arts, encouraging generations of students to attend the best arts colleges across the country. 

In his professional practice, Rettinger was an assemblage artist in the school of Rauschenberg but with Duchampian humor. He collected weathered wood including driftwood, old barn planks, furniture and hand tools. He repurposed them to create dynamic yet whimsical sculptures that played with scale, gravity and form. Found pieces were connected with bolts and Bondo, often embellished with hand-built glazed ceramic forms. Although abstract, his sculptures had a figurative quality. They ranged from small pedestal works to towering forms. 

“Jim was my art teacher at Seneca Valley. Later on he was a friend and colleague. In 2005, I organized a solo exhibition of his work at The Brew House. He had a mix of paintings, drawings and sculpture in his studio. I was fascinated with the sculptural pieces and wanted them to shine against the industrial walls of the gallery. Jim had a system for assembling, moving and re-assembling each large sculpture. We broke everything down and fit the collection into his pickup truck, but once unpacked, the work filled the gallery. He wanted to make his sculptures as large as he could physically manage. 

Halfway through the crowded opening reception, Jim realized that one of the sculptures would look better flipped upside down. In a performative moment, he grasped the sculpture with all his strength, heaved it into a new position and set it down, beaming with excitement to an amused crowd. That was Jim!” - Tom Sarver, working artist and former student

“Jim Rettinger once said of one of my drawings, “It looks like a battle between good and evil.  And evil is winning.”  He was known for non-sequiturs like this, casually cast off as he walked by.  He was carelessly funny and we all felt lucky to have him as a teacher.  I truly miss his wit and daily dose of joy.” -Emily Krill, working artist and former student

“I remember the day that a mutual student of both of ours said that I needed to immediately go into Rett’s art room. When I quietly entered the room he was singing, in a very quiet voice, a song from his childhood. The students were all completely quiet and focused on every word and movement. I looked at their faces and I could see the love and respect and wonderment that they had for that man. There was only one Rett!” -Jim Nagle, colleague

Rettinger was an active member of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania arts communities for many years, including the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. He held Bachelors and Masters degrees in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He held solo exhibitions at The Brew House, Westminster College, The Hoyt, Studio Z and the Frank L. Melega Museum.  He was 87 years old.