Cape May may be small but it is rich in culture. We are a town of under 5,000 people with three theaters – Cape May Stage, East Lynne Theater and a cabaret – The Henry Sawyer Room at the Chalfonte Hotel. We have a diversity of music offerings to satisfy anyone’s taste from classical to classic rock-and-roll. In terms of the visual arts, Cape May really shines this summer.

CapeMay.com went in search of local artists to profile and discovered that all the artists we contacted are exhibiting at The Mad Batter this summer. So, since all roads lead to the lovely Jackson Street restaurant, we followed along.

The first on our list of people to visit is Patricia Rainey. This former fashion model and mother of five, turned artist has combined her love for landscapes and her love of oil and watercolor to produce an oeuvre which captures the beauty and simplicity of Cape May.
A New Englander by birth, Patricia was as, Miss New Hampshire, a contender in the Miss Universe pageant. In 1976, she started her own modeling agency in her then home of Wyckoff, NJ. It was when her twin daughter Susan came into the agency to help out, that Patricia started thinking about her love of art. She is “basically self-taught” and, from what we can determine, a natural.

Patricia just finished an exhibition of her work at the Mad Batter but you can take a virtual tour on her website, www.patriciaraineystudios.com. If you want a more up close and personal look, her work will be represented at the 40th Annual Cape May Promenade Art Show July 8,9,10 as well as the 27th Annual Cape May Promenade Arts & Crafts Show August 12-14. She will also be showing her work at the Cape May County Art League’s juried show on the Washington Street Mall September 10 & 11. For other dates please check her website. She is one busy lady.

The next artist to follow Patricia Rainey at The Mad Batter is Cyndie Burkhardt who has “discovered life beyond the beach” in this  exhibition. Although Cyndie has photographed Cape May extensively, her recent adventures to the South China Sea are the focus of this exhibition.

“Cao Dai beach in Vietnam is not that much different from Cape May beach,” says Cyndie. “The water, the sand and the people playing beach ball are just like home. I even rented a bike for a long ride to the beach, same as I do here. That was fun until I found out it had no brakes!”

A Cape May native, Cyndie currently lives in New York. She travels and photographs professionally – everything from safaris in Africa to touring with a rock band throughout Ireland.

Cyndie’s photo diary of her solo trek throughout Indochina is a departure from depictions of Cape May life and gives visitors a look into how folks on the other side of the world look at a sunset. Her opening reception was on July 3rd. The exhibit continues through July 27th.  Cyndie will be on hand to discuss her work. And by the way? She still considers Cape May home.

Egg Harbor resident Marie Natale – just finishing a show at The Chalfonte Hotel – will be doing a solo at the Mad Batter beginning July 28th and running through the end of August. There will be an opening reception July 31 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Marie has been painting she was 12. Watercolor is her preferred medium and Cape May’s Victorian homes are a favorite subject for her.

Like Patricia Rainey, she has lived many lives – an elementary school art teacher – a business woman – a children’s clothing designer, an industrial gift designer. Painting, however, is her first love. When she gets a spare moment, she and her art pals – Cathy Rodricks, and Ginny Ogden Caroline Mangan, Bernice Rappoport, and Maureen Gass-Brown – “go on location” all over South Jersey searching for the perfect subject matter. Their work led to the Chalfonte Hotel exhibition last summer “Women and Their Art,” and repeated this past month. For more examples of her work, check out her website at www.MarieNatale.com.

The photography of Cape May’s favorite couple Don Merwin and Tina Giaimo will be on exhibition at The Mad Batter August 31 thru September 28th with a reception Sunday, September 11th from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The show is called “East Meets West.” In this instance, east is the Atlantic seaboard – west as in “Go West Young Man.” Tina and Don chronicled their trip throughout the National Parks and western states.

New York is also part of the subject matter, Tina said. Since the show’s reception on 9/11 and because Tina’s father was part of the building crew when The World Trade Center was being constructed, she wanted to pay homage to New York City with a photograph entitled Silhouette at Sunset. “My dad was on one building looking at the other while the tower was going up.”

Tina moved to Cape May 10 years ago from northern New Jersey. She met Don one night while having dinner at the Cape May restaurant 410 Bank Street. Don was her waiter and fellow north Jersey native. The two have been taking photos together ever since. Both share a love of travel, and particularly love the western part of the U.S. Lucky for Cape May, both Tina and Don are nature lovers, which shows exquisitely in their photography. If you happen to miss their exhibition at The Mad Batter, Tina and Don have opened a shop called the Spirit Catcher located in the Carpenter’s Square Mall on Carpenter’s Lane.

So, that brings us up September 28th when Stan Sperlak rolls into town. Pastel artist (and landscape designer) Stan Sperlak has been roaming Cape May County for quite a few years now looking for the next subject matter for a painting. He started out and continues to be in the nursery business. He owns Cape Shore Gardens in Cape May Court House but like so many other artists, the draw of landscape painting proved too hard to resist. His work has a special quality about it – a signature look which is distinguished from anyone else’s work.

His show runs from September 28th through November 2nd with a reception on Sunday October 2nd from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

And that‘s not all the news in Cape May’s art world – The Chalfonte Hotel changes exhibitions once a month. “Women and their Art” just left but beginning July 3rd New York artist Penny Chiusana’s watercolor exhibit opens with a reception from 2-4pm. Chiusano’s work is unusual, playful, poignant and uplifting. The self-guided exhibit will be on display for the entire month of July from 11am-4pm in The Magnolia Room. For information, contact The Chalfonte Hotel at 609-884-8409.

Following the Chiusano show is Cape May’s favorite artist Alice Steer Wilson. The Chalfonte will feature the work of the late award-winning watercolorist as well as additional works from local artists. A reception will be held Sunday, September 4 from 2-4 p.m. The exhibit will be on display in The Magnolia Room August 7 thru Labor Day from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Finally, the watercolors of Phyllis London will be on exhibit beginning September 11 running thru mid-October. Her paintings deal primarily with the forces of nature, conveying these potent symbols and themes through exacting observations of light, shadow, color, and composition.

Last but certainly not least is the Prickly Pear Cottage on Washington Street, home to The Cape May County Art League (CMCAL). CMCAL is the oldest county art league in the country. Open Wednesday thru Sunday afternoons and some evening, local artists display their work at the Prickly Pear. Additionally, the art league sponsors poetry readings, Shakespeare Lives study sessions, and art appreciation nights. For details and dates visit their website at www.capemaycountyartleague.com

So, ALL roads do not lead to the Mad Batter but it seemed everyone we wanted to talk to was heading in that direction. Our advise? Stop in have a cocktail or two and while you’re having dinner, you’ll get an artist’s view of the world. Many artists if you are a frequent visitor.