Beverly Chernaik

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes mosaic thusly: “a surface decoration made by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material to form pictures or patterns; also:the process of making it.”

This art form has captured the imagination since the third millennium BC, with the first examples of it discovered at a temple in Mesopotamia, according to Brittanica. Today, it can be found in dozens of iterations, from jewelry to large-scale art pieces to houseware: bowls, vases, mirrors, and the like. 

For Beverly Chernaik, who splits her time between her homes in Maryland and North Cape May, it’s become her absolute favorite creative outlet. “I started working on mosaics seriously about 10 years ago,” she told us. “After doing many different kinds of projects, I began making mosaic pendants and I have been doing them ever since.” 

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Beverly moved to Maryland in 1977 to start work as an attorney for the FDA, from which she retired in 2020 after over 40 years. “My husband and I had been coming to Cape May for many years before deciding to purchase a home here,” Beverly said. “We bought our home in North Cape May in 2017, and we both agree that it was the single best decision we ever made.  We are overwhelmed by the sense of community here, the art and music, the nature, and the amazing beauty of this place.”

Even with such inspiration all around her, Beverly hesitates to refer to herself as an artist [editor’s note: we beg to differ.], although she is a member of The Artists Guild of the Cape. “I am not an artist in the sense of someone who can draw or paint,” she said. “However, I have always loved crafts and have done many different types of crafts through the years. I’ve done quite a bit of advanced needlepoint and cross stitch, decorative furniture painting, and crochet. I also crochet many afghans every year and make lots of things with my Cricut. And I dabble in photography, as well.”

Ahem. Also, according to Merriam-Webster, the definition of “artist”: “a person who creates art (such as painting, sculpture, music, or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination.”

But for Beverly, even with all these other creative pursuits, mosaics hold a special spot in her heart. “I love being able to use so many different materials and to create so many different designs,” she told us. “I do a number of different kinds of mosaics. I work with both tile and stained glass, as well as with found objects like jewelry, shells, and whatever else I can get my hands on! I’ve made traditional mosaics, mirrors and picture frames made from jewelry and other things. I’ve worked with smalti [a type of Byzantine glass tile] once, and I look forward to doing that again. Recently I have concentrated on making mosaic pendants. I personally love them and have kept about 20 of them for myself!” Now there’s a fringe benefit to creativity—making your own favorite jewelry.

“My biggest challenge is deciding what to work on next!” Beverly said when we inquired about what she’s working on. “There are so many exciting mosaic techniques that I’d love to learn. There are two things that I would say are my biggest joy with mosaics: working on a project and making someone happy to receive it.  I love the all-absorbing, peaceful zone that I get into when I’m working on a mosaic. To me, there is nothing more relaxing—and at the same time, energizing—than working on a mosaic.  I usually give my mosaics away to friends and I love it when they love them.”  

In fact, Beverly gives away rather than sells most of her handiwork. She did sell pendants this past May at Nauti Spirits, with all the proceeds donated to the children of Nicaragua. “Good friends of ours live there half the year, and they are very involved with the local community,” Beverly said. “My husband and I visited last year, and we were very moved by the poverty so many children live with. It is my pleasure and honor to be able to contribute in some way to the lives of these children.”

When she’s not quite literally piecing things together, Beverly enjoys spending time with her family. “I have a wonderful son, daughter, daughter-in-law, stepdaughter, and two grandchildren,” she said. “I feel incredibly blessed to have had such an interesting and fulfilling career and to have worked with such dedicated and hardworking people. And I have an absolutely adorable, precious dog named Ginger. We rescued her from a very unfortunate situation in 2020 and, while she may be loud, she is incredibly sweet and affectionate!”   

Every good artist or artisan needs moral support, and who better than a rescue?