 During her youth, the Cummings home was visited frequently by artists including Donald Friend, and Len and Kathleen Shillam.Cummings initially wanted to pursue architectural training but decided to enroll in art school after meeting and painting with Margaret Cilento.She studied at the National Art School, then known as East Sydney Technical College, from 1953 to 1957 where she was educated by artists Douglas Dundas, Wallace Thornton, Dorothy Thornhill, Godfrey Miller and Ralph Balson.At art school, Cummings was exposed to the work of fellow young Australian artists which she found to be formative to her practice.