Allan Reutershan walks along the Hudson River shoreline and a uniquely shaped splinter of driftwood catches his eye. His mind begins to percolate with ideas. “That looks like a fish,” he thinks to himself as he snatches up the remnant.
Reutershan, a lifelong Hudson Valley resident now living in Cornwall-on-Hudson, is the founder of Hudson River Remnants. He uses what he finds along the coast to create sculptures, pendants, mobiles, frames, and more.
“I’ve been doing this for about four years,” Reutershan said. “It started as a hobby because of a family tragedy. Rather than sink to the depths of grief, I decided to start creating sculptures in my backyard from driftwood I found along the Hudson River.”
Reutershan, a massage and hypnotherapist by day, frequents Donahue Memorial Park, Plum Point, Piermont, and Stony Point searching the ground for artifacts that could be turned into a work of art. It could be a piece of driftwood, water chestnuts, rocks, shells, feathers, bones, shards of glass, or even a broken children’s toy.
“The river has all of these items sloshing back and forth with the tides,” Reutershan said. “The stuff that ends up on the shore, you wouldn’t believe what I find. As far as the pieces of driftwood, they’re all around us and they all have shapes. For some reason my mind can take a shape of driftwood and turn it into an animal.”
Not much is done to change the appearance of the driftwood, but Reutershan may add other pieces to create a scene.
For example, he came across a splinter of wood that resembled a fish with its mouth open. Using another piece of driftwood that appeared to be a frog, Reutershan gave the amphibian a part of a fishing pole with some line attached. He titled the sculpture, “Froggy Feeds the Fishy.”
When someone suggested he make mobiles, Reutershan decided to experiment and has since made between 150 and 200 of them.
Reutershan does commission work, taking a painting or photograph and creating unique frames. He’ll even stop by a thrift shop, buy an inexpensive piece of art, remove the glass and frame so he can create his own.
At first, Reutershan would give away his art to friends, but has since started selling the creations on consignment. Examples of his work can be found at Jones Farm, The Shops at 277 Main, Fiddlestix, Hudson Valley Roots, and Nature’s Pantry. They can also be viewed on his website at hudsonriverremnants.com or hudson_river_remnants on Instagram.
Reutershan finds the experience to be therapeutic, helping to keep his mind focused and in a calm place.
“It’s to keep me from going to the bar all afternoon and drinking myself into a stupor. It’s saved my life in the process.”
