CAPE MAY — If one were compiling a list of all of Brian DeMusz’s paintings around town, it would simply be easier to list the places that he did not paint.
DeMusz, 64, who died July 20 following a battle with cancer, is fondly remembered by many business owners and residents for his larger-than-life murals.
His artistry and dedication are evident from the dozens of business logos, store signs and other pieces painted all over town.
“His spirit and his art [are] woven into the fabric of Cape May,” Mayor Zack Mullock said.
Mullock, whose family transformed the Howell House of the Macedonia Baptist Church into the Harriet Tubman Museum, said DeMusz stopped by the facility in 2020 and asked if they had a sign yet.
“We didn’t and he dropped one off for free a couple of weeks later,” Mullock said. “He had a heart of gold; he will be greatly missed.”
When a business needed an artfully created sign, DeMusz and his brother Mike were the local people to call. DeMusz created two signs for the Cape May Point Science Center, which opened in 2023.
“Over the decades, I had the great pleasure of working with Brian DeMusz,” Science Center President Bob Mullock said. “He was not only a talented artist but a person of remarkable character.”
Bob Mullock added that DeMusz did more than paint signs; he brought personalities to life.
“Whether it was for a business, non-profit or community space, he helped shape the identity and atmosphere you hoped to create, always with deep humanity and wisdom,” Bob Mullock said. “He will be truly missed.”
One of DeMusz’s popular murals can be found on the side of The Flying Fish Studio at 130 Park Blvd. in West Cape May. Owner Sue Lotozo said she first met DeMusz in the mid-1980s, when she had him make a new sign for a restaurant she was running at the time.
“In the early 1990s when I first started The Flying Fish, I immediately called Brian for a sign,” Lotozo said, adding that the first sign is smaller than the one she has now, but each one was fantastic.
DeMusz asked Lotozo what she wanted the sign to say, but she left it up to him.
“Inevitably, what he would come up with would be better than anything I could have planned,” she said. “About 10-ish years ago, I had him do a large mural on the side of my workshop.”
The mural is a can’t-miss for anyone who has driven down Little Myrtle, Lotozo added.
“It is incredible, and I love it so much,” she said. “I will always be grateful for everything that he has done for us, and I will really miss his wild truck rattling through the lumberyard.”
Art along the Mall, beyond
Coffee Tyme owner Jesse Lambert remembers growing up watching his father work with DeMusz, who painted the windows at Coffee Tyme on the Washington Street Mall.
“I was always in awe watching him in his artistry,” Lambert said. “Everywhere you look in Cape May, you will find evidence of his creativity and his passion.”
On the back of the black Queen May Jewelry building, there is a giant crown that DeMusz painted. Queen May owner Amanda Adam said DeMusz’s spirit will linger in every corner.
“There’s a magic to Cape May, the kind that wraps around you like a memory [and] it feels like home every time,” she said. “[We] thank Brian DeMusz for breathing life into our dreams, for painting our town with whimsy and wonder, for giving Cape May a charm that lives nowhere else.”
During the winter holidays, visitors to the Washington Street Mall will notice a blue and white menorah, painted by DeMusz and crafted by Cape May Woodshop owner Max Samuelson.
Just off the Washington Street Mall on Carpenters Lane, a large monarch butterfly mural on the back of the Victorious Pink building was painted in 2020 by DeMusz and his brother Mike.
In an interview in 2020, Brian DeMusz said creating the butterfly mural was a project that just felt right. He added that he and Mike were satisfied with the result, and they received a lot of positive feedback from passersby.
Another stunning DeMusz mural is on the side of the Shore House Canna building in West Cape May. The marijuana dispensary was the first of its kind to open in Cape May County.
“Brian played a huge role in the look and feel of our cozy little home here,” Shore House Canna COO Dave Christian said. “We loved working with Brian and we are so sad to lose him, but we are grateful to have known him and will cherish the works of art he produced for us.”
Christian added that DeMusz became a friend early on, as the store was being built.
“We first hired Brian to paint our in-store signage on surfboard-shaped plywood,” Christian said. “We loved those signs so much that we asked if he could take a crack at our mural on the side of the building.”
One sign led to another, with DeMusz painting various things for Shore House Canna during the past three years.
“Brian left his mark on the broader Jersey shore community, painting countless signs for small businesses,” Christian said. “It’s actually crazy how many signs he painted. We hope [he] is laughing and painting the heavens.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
