Artisans Corner
Beverly Chernaik
For Beverly Chernaik, who splits her time between her homes in Maryland and North Cape May, mosaics have become her absolute favorite creative outlet.
Arts & Culture
Artist in Residence
Mary Lippincott
“I love making people happy with portraits of their pets. I strive for realism in my artwork.”
Antiquing Around Town
Hurricane Lamps
Thousands of years ago, lamps were made of pottery, carved shells, and other materials. They contained oil derived from animal fat or plants. A fiber, linen, or papyrus wick floated in the oil, providing longer periods of light. In 1780 Aime Argand developed an oil lamp that contained a wick […]
Victorian Vignette
Tattoos: Modern Expression & Ancient Art
“A sailor without a tattoo is like a ship without grog: not seaworthy.” -Samuel O’Reilly, tattooist, 1854–1909 For millennia, humans have tattooed their bodies to express their individuality, chronicling loves, losses, beliefs, victories, affiliations, hopes, and dreams. The oldest human discovered—5,300 years old— had 60 tattoos, and his contemporaries, from […]
Sound Waves
Geno White
An artist that epitomizes the term local legend, whose name is within six degrees of separation from not just any musician in the area but many of the greatest rock & roll guitarists of all time: meet Geno White—or get to know him a bit better. From Silence to Sound […]
The Islander
Jack Wright
Sitting by the fireplace in Exit Zero Filling Station to talk with Jack Wright was indeed an interview long overdue. I am one of many who have admired the work and contributions he has made to Cape May in the 23 years he has called it his home. Born in […]
Artisans Corner
Kate McKiernan
When was the last time you wanted something but didn’t buy it because you couldn’t afford it? And how many of us who might raise their hand in the affirmative here would decide to just make that thing instead? Kate McKiernan would. “I first started making jewelry in college, as […]
Artist in Residence
Doug Axmann
Rainbow LakeMixed media with watercolor and gouache paints on watercolor paper18” x 24” “I painted this by using a wet-on-wet technique. To begin with, literally pouring the paints onto the paper and then working in the details as the painting started drying. Once completely dried, I was able to paint […]
Antiquing Around Town
American Brilliant Cut Glass
Although American Brilliant cut glass had its heyday from the 1870s to the early 1900s, there has been a resurgence of collectors acquiring a few antique pieces for use in the home. It might be due to shows like Downton Abbey or The Gilded Age that shined a spotlight on […]
Victorian Vignette
The Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899
From February 11 to February 14, 1899, Cape May, Wildwood, the state of New Jersey, the rest of the continental United States—and Cuba—suffered through what came to be called The Great Valentine’s Day Blizzard of 1899 and the Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899, among other names. According to the […]
Sound Waves
Toni Teschner
They say a mother’s voice is the first one we hear, and in many cases, her taste in music is our very first impression of rhythm and song. For Toni Teschner, her mother’s record collection acted as an early guide to music, offering direction for where it would bring her […]
The Islander
Phil Courtney
Phil Courtney has been making art his whole life. These days, in his third-floor studio of his West Cape May house, he works on his own, having retired from painting and mounting billboards after more than 25 years. He has described his job as “Working on location at heights of […]
Artist in Residence
Lisa Crugnola
Northern Cardinalcolored pencil9” x 12” “Light layers of color build to achieve this vibrant finished portrait of a Northern Cardinal.” Follow Lisa on Instagram @portraits.pets.and.people
Victorian Vignette
Victorian Christmas Gifts
Christmas gift-giving for Victorians was not entirely different from today’s holiday gift-giving — it was easily the most exciting part of celebrating Christmas, certainly for children, but also for adults. What Victorian ladies and gentlemen and children gave to each other at Christmas has changed a lot since the late […]
Artisans Corner
Corinne Rietheimer
We first met Corinne Rietheimer back in our Spring issue of 2015, when we profiled her and her company, Shore Soaps, (along with other local soap makers) in the feature, “Soap Story.” This was a scant two years into Corinne’s soapmaking. Now she has her own little empire. Back then, […]
The Islander
Jennifer Kopp
Photographer and award-winning journalist Jennifer Kopp has seen and covered Cape May from every angle. Her objective and curious approach to reporting has brought to light Cape May’s successes, its heroes, and its dark side. As one of the most recognizable and well-known residents of Cape May, her enthusiasm and […]
Artist in Residence
John Eric Schneider
“Every time I attempt to paint snow, I give thanks to Mother Nature and the laws of physics that snow is white instead of any other color. That way, it makes all the other colors and values much easier to see. Painting snow can be challenging because it absorbs and […]
Antiquing Around Town
Defining Art Deco
Consider the Chrysler building in New York with its towering, sleek stepped geometric design. Or a Marquise- cut diamond ring, or cobalt blue mirrored glass topped tables. Then you understand what defines Art Deco. Soon after World War I ended, an explosion of decadent living and accelerated innovation collided. Shaking […]
Sound Waves
Brian Lee
The question of “why?” Humans do what we do can only bring us so far. Eventually, graveling over reason ceases to serve us—we must accept that we are the way we are by nature, nurture, or cosmic chance. For many, the intrinsic motivation to express oneself through creative outlets is […]
Antiquing Around Town
Union League of Philadelphia and Abraham Lincoln
With the presidential election in the not-too-distant future, it behooves me to mention one of our greatest presidents—Abraham Lincoln. His leadership during the Civil War and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation giving enslaved people in the United States their freedom, as well as preserving the Union was monumental. Decades ago, I […]
Sound Waves
The Honeyhawks
Music, like literature, explores many themes—usually boiling down to love, life, and loss. In this column we discuss the locals that play the music; however, this duo epitomizes potentially the most widely sung-about theme there is. Lelah and Jay Eppenbach’s love story began in the city of romance when Lelah […]
Artisans Corner
Rachael Shubin of Piper and Pearl Co.
Rachel Shubin is on that l-o-n-g list of people who used to vacation but now lives in Cape May. Raised in Fairfax, Virginia, she spent annual summer vacations here as a child, and knew she wanted to move here after college. “I was always sad when we left Cape May, […]
Artist in Residence
Victor Grasso
“The painting shows a young boy talking to a giant wolf, symbolizing an escape from reality. This magical scene represents a journey into a fantasy world where the boy finds freedom and adventure, leaving behind the constraints of everyday life.” Prodigious Lycanthropy Oil on canvas20” x 24”