Park Street rooster artist Thomas Reitter left a mark on Montclair - Montclair Local

tapanggane.blogspot.com

Thomas Reitter retouched the Park Street rooster mural each decade, adding the year of the latest touch-up below his signature. Reitter poses with the mural during the 2010 touch-up. (COURTESY RON TRAVISANO)

By TALIA WIENER
wiener@montclairlocal.news

Thomas J. Reitter, the artist behind the much-loved rooster mural on Montclair’s Park Street, died Feb. 5 at the age of 71. 

Reitter, born May 23, 1950 in Teaneck, grew up in Chatham, where he attended Chatham High School before leaving town to attend the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. He lived in Chatham until moving to Rahway in 1983, but returned to the borough with wife Frances “Fran” Benson in 1991.

Art was part of Reitter’s persona, Barb and Rob Johnston, longtime friends of Reitter’s said. The Johnstons have known Reitter and Benson for more than 40 years.

“[His creativity] extended to all he did including his cooking, his attire, his Halloween costumes, his greeting cards, his sense of humor, his gardening and especially his art,” the Johnstons said in an email to Montclair Local.

Reitter was a fine arts artist who painted in oils and watercolor, according to his obituary, as published by William A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home. His work is “magical, full of realism and fantasy intertwined,” the obituary says.

In 1980, Paul Zimmerman wanted a big rooster to reside on the building he owned at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Park Street. When the morning sun cast its light on the rooster, it would “crow and wake up the town,” he told Montclair Local. Zimmerman connected with Reitter, and the mural was created, inspired by the work of Pablo Picasso. 

However, the rooster was not immediately a hit in Montclair, Zimmerman said. The Township Council at the time demanded the mural be removed, arguing that the rooster was just an advertisement for The Chicken Basket, the chicken restaurant that then resided in the building. Zimmerman began to receive fines from the township. 

But after an ABC7 Eyewitness News story and support from the Montclair Art Museum, the township withdrew the fines and the council agreed the mural could stay, as long as Zimemrman maintained it, he said.

So about every 10 years — in 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2019 — Reitter returned to the Park Street wall with his ladder and paintbrushes, adding splashes of bright color and crisp edges to the decade-faded mural. The mural currently resides between Sweet Kitchen and Puebla de Noche. 

“He was a real artist, very kind, dependable and talented,” Zimmerman said. 

Thomas Reitter poses next to the Park Street rooster mural while touching it up in summer 2010. (COURTESY RON TRAVISANO)

Through the mural, Reitter’s memory lives on, as his art continues to be cherished by the Montclair community, his niece Kim Amon Picciano said.

“He was a kind, peaceful, creative person in everything he did, from his clothes [to] his relationships to his art,” Picciano said. “Our loss is one so very great.”  

Zimmerman plans to hire a new artist to help maintain Reitter’s work in coming years, he said. 

Reitter also loved to be in nature, going fishing and camping with friends and spending time gardening. 

“When Thom visited, he always brought seeds, plants, flowers and was the gardening go-to-guy for advice,” the Johnstons said in their email. “His garden was magnificent, understated and completely natural. His plantings brought in the birds to complement the landscape.”

If he wore a hat, it was adorned with feathers he found, the Johnstons said. If he wore a pin, it was in the image of an element of nature. His fragrance was patchouli, they said.

One spot that Reitter and Benson loved most was Martha’s Vineyard, where the two met in 1976. They married there in 1976 and vacationed there every year since, according to the Johnstons.

“He lived his life with kindness, sensitivity to others and always with a creative flair,” the Johnstons said. “Thom’s art will help all to keep his memory alive.”

Donations in Reitter’s memory may be made to the Raptor Trust Bird Rehabilitation and Education Center in Millington, according to his obituary. 

A memorial gathering was held at the William A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home Sunday.

Montclair Local asked community members to share their favorite photos with the rooster mural. The following images were submitted:

Reitter’s niece Kim Amon Picciano poses in front of the Park Street mural after the 2001 restoration. Picciano lives in Colonia (COURTESY KIM AMON PICCIANO)

Montclair-raised Scott Moore was “completely obsessed” with the Park Street rooster mural as a little kid, and so in 2017, when he was deciding on engagement photo locations with now-wife Jennifer Moore, the rooster was an obvious choice. The Moores live in Bloomfield. (COURTESY J&R PHOTOGRAPHY)

Montclair resident Schuyler Duffy snaps a photo of artist Thomas Reitter touching up his rooster mural on Park Street on Oct. 15, 2019. The mural, painted in 1980, was touched up by Reitter every 10 years, most recently in 2019. (COURTESY SCHUYLER DUFFY)

Helen Laser, who recently moved to New York City from Montclair, is seen in front of the Park Street rooster mural in 2012. (COURTESY HELEN LASER)

In 2016, then-6-year-old Aubrey Kahn, then-8-year-old Owen Kahn and a friend pose in front of the rooster mural. (COURTESY RUSSELL KAHN)

West Orange resident Lauren Waldrum poses with her then-4-month-old son, Wes, in front of the Park Street rooster mural in 2017. (COURTESY LAUREN WALDRUM)

Max and Maddie Blackburn, both 11 years old at the time, pose with the Park Street rooster mural during the 2014 Bike&Walk Montclair Scavenger Hunt. The Blackburns graduated from Montclair High School in 2021. (COURTESY DAVID BLACKBURN)

Montclair resident Raphaela Neihausen poses with the mural in 2019. (COURTESY THOM POWERS)

Montclair residents Jack and Aelita Neihausen pose with their grandson, then 5-year-old Bez Neihausen, in front of the Park Street rooster in 2015. (COURTESY RAPHAELA NEIHAUSAN)

A friend of Reitter’s for more than 35 years, William Coury visited the Park Street rooster yearly alongside Reitter. Coury is seen here in 2018. (COURTESY WILLIAM COURY)

Thomas Reitter looks up at his rooster mural in 2019, the last time he touched up the Park street artwork. (COURTESY JANET MORAN)

Siblings Henry, Whitman and Dorothy Moran pose in front of the Park Street rooster mural in 2020. The Moran family was friends with Reitter. (COURTESY JANET MORAN)

Neal and Mare Aiello posed with Thomas Reitter and his wife Fran Benson in front of the mural in May 2019. (COURTESY NEAL AND MARE AIELLO)

KEEP LOCAL JOURNALISM ALIVE: MontclairLocal.news is free, but it takes consistent financial support from a community that believes local journalism matters to make it and our weekly print paper possible. Your sustaining contribution of $10 per month (or more) makes you a member, and gets you our print edition. Visit MontclairLocal.news/donations for details and to become a member today.

 

Adblock test (Why?)

"artist" - Google News
February 15, 2022 at 01:00AM
https://ift.tt/PkfH0Ks

Park Street rooster artist Thomas Reitter left a mark on Montclair - Montclair Local
"artist" - Google News
https://ift.tt/EVPj83v


Bagikan Berita Ini