Bill Cummings was a Tilghman native whose art recalls a time lost on Tilghman. Painting from only his memory, his images show us a Tilghman many of us have never seen.

While we highlight six of his prints below, 20 prints are available for sale in our Shop.

His self written biography…

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I was born in 1927 and when old enough, I began working on the water with my Dad.

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My occupation of being a commercial fisherman was very hard but I always enjoyed it.  We always had an abundance of seafood.

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My interest in Art started at a very young age.  At that time, Art was not a subject introduced in school.  On my days off from working on the water, because of bad weather, I would study art from books.  I had to study anatomy, the color wheel, and see how best to apply these to my art.  I first tried small subjects such as a horse, a boat, and a tobacco barn.  I felt I was getting to be a pretty good artist (this was just my thought at the time).

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As the years rolled by, and I got older, I could see my occupation as a commercial fisherman coming to an end.  It was then I decided to put the times on the water and the business, on paper and canvas,  My art work was done from memories of days gone by and the waterman’s way of life.

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I have finished many paintings pertaining to my life as a waterman and of course, my childhood.  I have reflected on the waterman’s way of doing things has changed and gone, never to return.  This saddens me very much.

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-Bill Cummings