Elizabeth Bishop Mumford

Liz was raised on a farm in Griffin, Indiana, the only girl in the middle of five brothers. After discovering a love of art in the 3rd grade, she began developing her own distinctive style by capturing scenes of her hometown and life on her family’s farm.

Liz’s early education began in Griffin, before she left for boarding school at Kingswood School in Michigan. She attended Sweet Briar College and Smith College. After graduating from Smith, Liz began her teaching career at Seabury Hall School on Maui, where she taught art and history for four years, followed by five years teaching at Evansville Day School in Indiana. She continued her education at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she received a Master of Arts in Teaching.

Liz was a renowned artist whose style developed throughout the years. Influenced by American folk art, her work features mermaids, maritime trade, and everyday life in historically significant locations. Her paintings are typically framed by a black border with gold-leaf scallop shells in the corners and a red lettered quote, such as, “If you follow your star, you will reach a glorious harbor.”

She showed at many galleries from Florida to New England, including the Maritime Art Gallery at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT; Christina Gallery in Edgartown, MA; and Tree’s Place in Orleans, MA. After her second cancer diagnosis in 2016, she transitioned from oil paints to acrylics and watercolors, before returning to oils in the last few months of her life. She also taught art and art history on the Cape, both through private group lessons and at Cape Cod Community College as an adjunct professor. Liz supported a number of local and national charities with donations of art for auction. She has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including a retrospective of her work at the Cahoon Gallery in Cotuit, MA in 2018.

Growing up, Liz spent her summers at her grandmother’s house in Hyannis Port, MA. She loved Hyannis Port and became a year-round resident in the early 1980s and a fixture in the community. Outside of painting, Liz had a wide variety of interests. She loved to be around her friends, both old and new, always regaling them with stories of her life as a teacher in Hawaii or back on the farm. She loved her gardens, including the front raised bed garden inspired by the gardens in Williamsburg, VA. She was also an accomplished chef and an invitation to dinner at her house was always a treat. An avid singer, she belonged to the choirs of St. Mary’s in Barnstable, MA and St. Peters in Osterville, MA, including traveling to England on choral trips. She was active in the vestry at St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in Hyannis Port, where she was senior warden. A staunch Republican whose loyalty never wavered, she showed that same loyalty to her friends of all political persuasions. She was an active member of National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, Cape and Islands United Way, Town of Barnstable Historical Commission, Mystic Seaport Museum PILOTS, Hyannisport Club, Hyannis Port Yacht Club, West Beach Club, Hyannis Yacht Club, and Chilton Club.

Liz is survived by her son, Sam Wilson, of Hyannis Port, MA; her brothers Tom (Nancy) of Olympia, WA; Dick (Jan) of Hyannis Port, MA; Chris (Maggie) of Holderness, NH; Mike (Sandy) of Griffin, IN; and Bishop (Liz) of Griffin, IN; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, and her dog, Lucy.

Liz may be gone, but we are grateful that her art will always remain.

Due to COVID-19, the family will be holding a private funeral service and internment. A celebration of Liz’s life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Andrew's-by-the- Sea, P.O. Box 832, Hyannis Port, MA O2647, or Cape and Islands United Way, PO Box 367, Centerville, MA 02632.