A Life Shaped by the Coast Born in Edgecomb, Maine, Earl Cunningham was a self-taught painter who spent much of his life navigating the waters and landscapes of the American Atlantic coast. After leaving home at age thirteen, he worked as a tinker and a peddler before beginning to paint and sell landscapes and scenes of boats. His deep connection to the sea was furthered by his work as a river and coastal pilot, sailing ships along the eastern seaboard of the United States. His life was marked by movement between Maine and Florida, including a period in South Carolina where he raised chickens…