Phil Cusumano, a former commercial fisherman, has infused a lifetime of experience on the water into his artwork.
A sea captain still at work on the ocean as well in as his art studio, he will exhibit some of his local maritime art through August at a Salem gallery.
The public is invited to a free artist's reception when the exhibit opens next Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kensington-Stobart Gallery in Salem at the Hawthorne Hotel off the Salem Common.
Cusumano paints scenes of fishermen, and documents the work aboard Gloucester fishing boats and activities from the early 1950s to the present day. His maritime and naval art includes seascapes and scenes from the North Atlantic coastline as well as scenes from the past of tall ships and schooners.
"I know that I like to make my painting about an activity in the marine industry. A theme or idea about a painting can come from the fishermen who view my work. We talk about 'the good old days' and out of that generally comes an idea," he said. "Since I have been there, I can show the viewer a particular perspective that I and other fishermen get. I have had friends who were also in the fishing industry look at my paintings and shiver. They say 'Oh my God, I remember just what that felt like.'"
He is a member of the International Society of Marine Painters, the American Society of Marine Artists and Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
Born and raised in Gloucester, Cusumano's passion for art began when he was a child.
His father owned commercial fishing vessels in Gloucester for 50 years. At 13, he began fishing during summer vacations on his father's draggers. He graduated from Gloucester High School in 1969 and fished full-time on his father's boats.
"But I was always drawing, even out at sea," he said.
After he studied art, he began work in watercolors from 1972 to 1988. He then turned to oil paints.
"The details are very important to me, so I take special care in making the drawing as close to photo real as possible," he said. "My satisfaction comes from being able to depict and document the feeling of fishing as if you were right on deck."
Because he has lived the life of much of his subject matter, he said he finds that his personal experiences at sea help him to capture the feeling and detail.
His experiences in commercial fishing span 19 years, but as government regulations increased and fishing stocks dwindled, Cusumano got out. He decided to put his creative background to work and opened up a small graphic design business.
Cusumano has won many awards for his paintings and mirror etchings. He signs all of his paintings with the signature "Filippo," which is his name as it appears on his birth certificate.
"I was born with that name and I was born with a love of drawing," he said.
While the captain remains busy on the water, perhaps delivering a boat from Maine to Florida, or captaining a 60-foot yacht in Boston Harbor, he said he remains steadfast in his desire to capture the beauty of Cape Ann and to document the fishing industry, both past and present.
In the case of the Eastern rig boats, which fish from the side, he knows they are being replaced by stern fishing boats so "it is important for me to keep the history alive," he said.
The exhibit will run through Aug. 6 at the Kensington-Stobart Gallery. For more information call 978-825-0022 or visit www.philcusumanoart.com.
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