OCEAN CITY, Md. — Many people think they know coastal New Jersey from the outrageous stereotypes portrayed in the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. Internationally acclaimed artist Aurelio Grisanty, who has spent months traveling around the beaches of New Jersey gathering inspiration for his Beach Town Posters, wants the world to know the “real Jersey Shore.”

“When I visit the Jersey shore, I see majestic lighthouses, historical homes, stunning beaches and wildlife sanctuaries, great live music and food, and towns where generations of families share wonderful memories,” says the noted painter and graphic artist. “It’s truly unfortunate that MTV chose to portray the New Jersey shore in a negative light, because that’s not the ‘real’ Jersey shore.”

Grisanty has completed 7 New Jersey-themed images for his ongoing series of Beach Town Posters, and plans to add more Jersey Shore towns to the collection. So far, the series includes Cape May, Long Beach Island, Avalon, Ocean City, Stone Harbor and Atlantic City.

Beach Town Posters is a series of retro Art Deco prints that evoke the feel of vintage postcards and travel ads from American resort towns in the 1920s and ’30s. There are now 67 images completed in the collection, with many more on the horizon.

Grisanty, a Delaware resident originally from the Dominican Republic, says the Jersey shore gives him a wealth of artistic inspiration. His posters for New Jersey include depictions of a white heron in Stone Harbor (a nod to the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary) and the iconic wooden lifeguard boat in Avalon, known to generations of Garden State beachgoers.

“I understand that MTV wants ratings and that trashiness sells,” Grisanty says. “As someone who is not from New Jersey but has spent a great deal of time on the coast, I can tell you firsthand that Jersey Shore is not ‘reality.’ Of course there is a party element in some towns, but that’s a small part of what the Jersey Shore has to offer.

“It is my hope that the beauty, history, and uniqueness of the Jersey Shore will rise above the stereotypes portrayed on the show.”

January 2010

I would like to thank you all for the incredible, enthusiastic response to the recent articles about Beach Town Posters. Not only has your feedback given me new energy to keep working, but it has traced a path for me to follow. Now I am eagerly creating many new images.

I have found fantastic beaches from which to draw inspiration, such as the beautiful Wrightsville Beach, the lighthouse in Cape Lookout, the incredible Sunset Beach pier, Emerald Isle, Ocean Isle, Holden Beach, and many others rich and splendid. Thanks to your suggestions, Beach Town Posters should have several new designs finished by Spring.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart — you make my work and life beautiful.

Aurelio Grisanty