LifeStyle Magazine - Dane Tilghman: Embracing the Storm

Dane Tilghman: Embracing the Storm

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Written by Shannon Collins

Nearly 20 years ago, Dane Tilghman was watching The Cosby Show with his 4-month-old daughter when to his surprise, the camera panned past a piece of his artwork on Rudy Huxtable’s bedroom wall. Little did he know, that would be the first of many accomplishments.

If I had to fill out one of those questionnaires where I pick one word describing Tilghman, “inspirational” would certainly be at the top of my list. As a fellow Kutztown University graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, he is the kind of artist who makes our campus in the cornfields proud. After committing himself to becoming a full-time painter, Tilghman worked as an employee at Weis Markets while living out of a suitcase for three years. Life was a challenge, but his hard work paid off when he was able to become a self-sufficient full-time artist.

“I find that in this business, nothing is supposed to come easy. You have to build character in the trenches. If it came easy to me, I would never appreciate it,” said Tilghman. “Even though I didn’t like the storms that I had to go through, I embraced them knowing that this is the path I have to take.”

Tilghman’s pieces reach new dimensions, from realism to a stylish combination of surrealism, impressionism to primitive elongation. He creates timeless paintings with a narrative depiction similar to those of Jacob Lawrence, who is renowned for visual dramatizations of the black American experience. Tilghman’s fluid, almost sculpted paintings portray the lives of everyday people. His figurative paintings mimic the works of Modigliani and Thomas Hart Benton, marked by sinuous lines, simple, flat forms, and elongated proportions that are almost classical in effect.

“I’ve always committed myself to painting for me and then finding others who like it, versus painting for them and being stuck because I know this is what they like. That way, it keeps me free,” said Tilghman. “For me, when I’m painting it’s like the highest form of reality. When you’re engaged in that artwork…this is it! You’re in your zone and if this is how I’ve got to die at this moment…perfect!” he joked.

Tilghman has established himself as one of the premier painters of African American golf art, blues images and Negro League Baseball images. His big dreams have also impacted the sports world with larger-than-life murals, the first of which he completed in 2000 for the West Chester Community Center. Since then, his murals have been showcased in some of the most prominent stadiums in the country, including Turner Stadium in Atlanta and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium (try not to cringe, Eagles fans). Tilghman’s future looks even brighter now that the Yankees Stadium and the new Mets Stadium, Citi Field, have shown special interest in commissioning him for murals.

“It’s been a journey that has not been dull. I remember telling my wife when we first got married, ‘I can promise you one thing…your life will not be boring.’ And it hasn’t been,” said Tilghman. “If I were to look back on my life from where I started in very humble beginnings, to where I’m at now, I’d just have to go ‘wow!’ It’s a wow experience, and that’s what it should be. Twenty years from now, you’re going to go ‘wow!’ You will, I guarantee it.”

Tilghman’s work is on display at ArtJaz Gallery in Philadelphia, Sunset Hill Jewelers in West Chester and his personal gallery in Coatsville. To view more of his artwork, visit http://tilghmanenterprises.com .

Shannon Collins is a freelance illustrator and LifeStyle Magazine’s fine arts editor.

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