Ed Marion’s “Fat Man, Smiling”
Join us for Fat Man, Smiling, the second Cherry Street Pier exhibition by resident artist Ed Marion running May 7 through the end of May at the Pier.
Marion accidentally fell into self-portraiture while studying architecture at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in the late 70s. What started as a drawing exercise, turned into a life-long passion. Convinced that the best artists were those able to draw themselves, Marion pursued self-portraiture for months, and then promptly gave up when he sketched what he thought was a likeness he couldn’t perfect.
Twenty-five years later, after practicing law, Marion took up painting and revived this self-portrait practice, daring to do better than his teenage self did when he put down his pencils in 1980.
Fat Man, Smiling features 120 self-portraits made over a 40-year period. Crafted with pencil, oils, acrylics, crayons, and oil sticks, these portraits depict Marion as both young and old, thin and fat, smiling and serious. Made through good times and bad, they are the residue of the performance of sitting before a mirror and trying one’s best to see who one really is.
Don’t miss this wonderful exhibition on display now through the end of May.
Enjoy the delicious eats and sweet treats from our concessions.