Talents on Tilghman: Kathi Ferguson

from Tidewater Times October 2021

October Calendar of Events

Talents on Tilghman

by Kathi Ferguson

Kristin Lednum

A tabletop easel claimed its portion of the Lednum family dining area, where 18-year-old Kristin Lednum’s most recent painting was nearing completion. Her subject? A grandmother and grandchild done in acrylics that was being presented to a friend for Mother’s Day. Although work space may be limited, it is obvious that this multi-talented Tilghman Island native’s ability to produce impressive art knows no boundaries.

It comes as no surprise when Kristin informs me that art has always been a part of her life. “When I was little, I would come home from school and just start drawing. In charcoal mostly,” she says. “I loved taking art classes, often participating in the Tilghman Elementary af-

“The Final Stretch,” Kristin holding, acrylic 45

ter school programs, and attending summer camp at the Academy Art Museum in Easton over the years. Mom says I was always the last to leave my coloring class!”

A self-admitted perfectionist, Kristin’s was not terribly satisfied by her first attempts at painting. “I tried oil and watercolor and really didn’t like it,” she tells me. “That’s probably because I didn’t think I was good at it!” It wasn’t until in her senior year of high school that Kristin began to tackle mediums other than charcoal.

The opportunity to expand her creative horizons further, however, came after being accepted to the Advanced Placement Art program (AP Art) offered at St. Michaels

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Talents on Tilghman workboats dash toward the finish line in a local boat race. One of the boats, aptly named Kristin Marie, belongs to Kristin’s dad, lifelong waterman Billy Lednum. Here, Kristin not only tackles the challenge of drawing in perspective but manages to capture the feel of the boats moving through the water. “I made sure to consult with Dad on this one,” she says, “to be sure I got it right!” A favorite of Billy’s is his daughter’s graphite drawing of an old car that happened to park in front of their house one afternoon. “Kristin was intrigued, took a picture and drew it. Simple as that,” Billy says. “Her mom and I were so impressed with the outcome.” CompositionHigh School (SMHS). In order to ally, this piece is a winner, earning qualify, a portfolio of five pieces of Kristin a place in the Spring 2018 art is submitted ~ the equivalent of an exam for other AP courses. One project in particular called for students to create a certain number of pieces, 15 to be exact, focusing on one theme using any medium. That theme for Kristin would be “home.” “More specifically,” she explains, “what home is to me, my experiences, and how I can convey that to the viewer through my work.”

It becomes apparent that spending time on or near the water is a major source of inspiration for Kristin as she shows me the first of many samples of her work. In The Final Stretch (acrylic on wood), two Chesapeake Bay deadrise 48

edition of SPINDRIFT, the literary arts magazine of Talbot County Schools, as well as in the Academy Art Museum’s student art show that year.

As Kristin reveals more of her portfolio, I am struck not only by her attention to detail, but also by her ability to tackle a variety of subjects. A triptych piece, for example, done in watercolor, depicts an entire day in three different scenes. In another, Kristin selects the color purple for a monochromatic acrylic painting of a single rose done on fiber board. Perhaps two of my favorites are “Bay’s Bounty” (selected for the Celebrate St. Michaels 2021 Art League Banner Program) and an untitled work providing the viewer with a unique perspective of a firefighter’s gear. In this case, that firefighter is Kristin herself! What stands out in each of these works is her eye for color, a strong sense of design and a touch of whimsy.

Ambitious and driven, there is no doubt this young artist enjoys taking on a challenge. At age 16, she officially joined Tilghman Island Volunteer Fire Department, where her father has served for 30 years and is currently chief. “I loved following Dad around and riding on calls,” she grins. Firefighting classes would come next. After completing her training with flying colors in 2020, Kristin can now serve as a line officer and third lieutenant. Aside from graduating from SMHS with honors, Kristin was named valedictorian for her class of 2021. She also helped lead her varsity softball team to several victories in her role as starting centerfielder. Recently, she was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to High Point University in North Carolina, where she will pursue a six-year pre-pharmacy program.

A bright future is surely ahead for Kristin Marie. Although her new journey may lead her away from Tilghman and on to a promising career, her love for home and the world of art is sure to remain

Nancy at 2VintageChics boutique with one of her works.

constant. “I will never stop making art,” she says. “I simply love the way it makes me feel.”

Nancy Sullivan

Tilghman Island resident Malissa Kirszenbaum had recently opened her new boutique and was looking to showcase local talent when Nancy Sullivan’s colorful mosaics came to mind. “I had seen Nancy’s work at a local fundraiser and was immediately attracted to it,” says Malissa. “I now carry a number of her pieces, and they have been very well received.”

Mosaic art is defined as the decoration of a surface with designs using small pieces of materials such as glass, tile, marble, shell or stone. The pieces are closely set, often variously colored, and can result in works that are either very complex or simpler in nature. Nancy discovered this intricate art form a few years ago when she attended a class taught by Eastern Shore mosaic artist Jen Wagner. “I immediately got the bug,” she says. “The colors, textures, patterns, I love all of that. It is really a good medium for me.”

Nancy has always dabbled in art ~ drawing and painting since childhood. “We would have drawing contests at home,” she says. “When I turned twelve, I got my first artist’s paint set and started painting up a storm. Actually, my parents let me paint on the walls of

Talents on Tilghman Hundred Restaurant, now Marker Five. It did not take long for us to my bedroom. I would do skylines, conclude that ultimately, Tilghman unicorns, fun stuff like that.” would become our home. Bob had

Then, home for Nancy was his own building business in ConGreenwich, Connecticut, where she necticut, and I began working with was born and raised before mov- him in 1993. Six years later, we sold ing farther north to Newtown in Bob’s business, started Sullivan 1975. Her early career was spent Building and Design and became in the food business, working for a permanent Tilghman residents. We catering facility on weekends and have been busy ever since!” helping out at her mom’s delicates- Along with painting and drawsen during the week. The building ing, breaking glass apart and reasbusiness, however, would become sembling it to create something eyeNancy’s bailiwick after meeting and catching has provided Nancy with a later marrying her husband, Bob welcome diversion from the rigors Sullivan. It would also be what led of the construction business. Her her to Tilghman Island. “My first of inspiration, she tells me, “Comes several visits was with Bob in 1997,” from all kinds of things. The possays Nancy. “His father had retired sibilities are endless. When I am here and leased what was then Bay on the lookout for subjects, I always

Talents on Tilghman or subject, lays it underneath the glass and begins the process. consider how something might look With no measuring necessary, in glass.” Many of those subjects Nancy uses nippers to cut the glass have a local flavor, reflecting na- into various shapes, sizes and anture and the beauty that surrounds gles that she feels best suit the elher. Popular works include those of ements of the piece. Guided by her Sharps Island Light, once serving sketch, she tackles the subject first, the Eastern Chesapeake Bay area then places pieces around it for the near the entrance to the Choptank background. The pieces are glued River, and Tilghman Island Bridge, to the surface, and the gaps are which spans the Knapp’s Narrows filled with grout. “It is like doing a Channel between the mainland and jigsaw puzzle,” she explains. “The the island. technique is what makes it realis-

Using a combination of store- tic. For example, if I am working bought glass and glass from other on the sky or water, I will cut pieces sources, a Sullivan mosaic begins that are longer and more angular. I with the frame, typically purchased am also mindful of the glass color, from a thrift store. Nancy first re- thickness, transparency and how moves the glass from its frame, it catches the light. Sometimes the which then acts as her palette. Next, subject is all clear glass with color she does a rough sketch of the scene surrounding it for a different look.” An average piece will take anywhere from three to five hours to complete. As I admired Nancy’s work, it struck me that the process shares several characteristics with the building and design industry. Both require planning, gathering and assembling the pieces, attention to detail, and patience, all leading to a visual result. Nancy agrees. “I had not thought of that before, but you’re right! When creating mosaics, however, it’s just me and the glass. I get tremendous satisfaction when folks tell me, ‘Your work is great!’ That makes me smile. And it is something I really love to do.”

Chef Eddie ErkenBrack

It all begins with the basics. That’s what local Chef Eddie ErkenBrack would tell you about his approach to cooking. Main ingredients are carefully selected, skillfully prepared and then enhanced to produce a well-balanced and completed dish. Currently at the helm of the kitchen at Tilghman’s popular Marker Five restaurant, Chef Eddie has effectively orchestrated this process time and time again for the past six seasons.

No novice to the food industry, Eddie formally began his career with an internship at the Tilghman Island Inn after completing one year at the Culinary Institute of America

Chef Eddie ErkenBrack in the dining room at Marker Five.

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in Hyde Park, New York. He then returned to culinary school, graduating in 2011, and worked at several restaurants in his hometown of Arlington, Virginia, before a job offer led him back to the Eastern Shore. “The chef at Tilghman Island Inn asked me to come back, and I had no reluctance in accepting the offer,” says Eddie. Three years later, he would join the staff at what was then Mike & Eric’s (now Marker Five) and continued working with them when the restaurant relocated from Tilghman to St. Michaels. A new opportunity would soon come to Eddie when he was hired to work at Marker Five, which had recently reopened. “You might say I’ve come full circle,” he smiles.

ErkenBrack reaches back to his childhood for what led him on his culinary journey. Growing up for him and his two older siblings meant that food and family came together. As a young boy, he would work with his mom in the kitchen every chance he got. His mother, Cynthia, can remember when her son would find recipes and make them as gifts for the family. “He was always experimenting and loved to try new things,” she recalls. “I really think this cooking thing is just in him.”

Situated on Knapp’s Narrows between the Eastern Chesapeake Bay and the Choptank River, Marker Five offers its diners exceptional food in a beautiful setting. As the restaurant’s executive chef, it is apparent that Eddie brings that aesthetic into his kitchen. “It’s all about freshness,” he tells me. “Available ingredients are always changing, and that keeps things exciting. I tend to be a seafood kind of guy. Of course, we get a potpourri of fish in this area ~ rockfish, oysters, scallops, blue catfish, which I love working with, by the way. Combine that with the awesome local produce that we are surrounded with, and go from there!”

‘Going from there’ for Chef Eddie involves looking at the entire dish equally as it is being made, putting as much thought into the presentation as into its entire preparation. “It is a balancing act,” Eddie explains. “I constantly ask myself if the components meld right in my mind, is the protein perfectly cooked, does the sauce enhance it,

is it colorful. To me, this is very important since we eat first with our eyes. If it looks good, it had better taste good!”

Although much of Marker Five’s menu creation comes from Chef Eddie, he is a proponent of getting his staff involved throughout the process. “It is important to gain input from my team,” says ErkenBrack. “Everyone tastes the dishes so that we are all on the same page, particularly since we change the menu up every few weeks. There is great camaraderie in the kitchen. We all work wonderfully together, and during our busiest times, that’s critical.” Sous chef Ray Gibson credits his boss for helping him enjoy cooking again. “Until I came on board here a few years ago, I had one foot out the door of the restaurant business,” he tells me. “I credit Chef with helping me to enjoy cooking again. His love for the craft motivates me to perfect my own.”

According to Eddie, one of the most popular dishes at Marker Five is the scallops. Seared to perfection, they are Chef Eddie on a plate. In a popular version of the dish, Eddie places them over a pickled corn salad and adds a beautiful carrot puree, house bacon Old Bay aioli and thin slices of radish to complete the plate. “For dishes like this, I tend to be big on herbs and light on garnish,” he tells me. “And I love to work with veggies. They are so versatile and add that pop of color.”

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Other than seafood, Marker Five’s house-smoked chicken wings, ribs and wood-fi red brick oven pizza tend to be top sellers.

Succeeding as a chef requires a commitment to creating the perfect blend of food, taste and aroma. Every bite on the plate should be different, but one must always complement the other. Partaking of this talented chef’s food, it is obvious he continues to master his craft ~ one satisfying bite at a time. “I love being here,” says Eddie. “And I love to cook the food that I think locals, passersby and others will enjoy. Culinary trends are ever changing, but keeping things fresh and simple tends to remain in style. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

Tilghman may be a small island, but there is no shortage of talent to be found here. As a resident myself, I can attest to that. Akin to much of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the island’s unique calm, proud history and natural charm continue to inspire many. That, too, is a beautiful thing.

Kathi Ferguson is a freelance writer with a diverse and creative professional background. Some of her favorite subjects are the people of the Eastern Shore. To reach Kathi, e-mail kathi@inotherwords. info.

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