Capturing soul and beauty with Edwin Sion’s portraits

Marco Polo Davao invites art enthusiasts to the 5th one man show of Mr. Edwin Sion as he presents portraits of distinguished personalities in Philippine society from August 12 to 15, 2009 at the hotel Main Lobby.
Edwin Sion first became known in the 80’s for his portraits done in his signature sepia medium. In a glance, those knowledgeable of local portraiture can easily spot Sion’s works because of his distinct soulful style. Critics have described how Sion literally puts life in a portrait by pouring his into emphasizing his subjects’ eyes and making it the focal point of the artwork.
In recent years though, Sion has broadened his style to include colored portraits in pastels and watercolors on paper. First sketching and outlining a portrait in sepia, Sion then finishes the work in watercolor, said to be the most difficult medium to use in portraiture. The final artwork has a classic dreamlike, almost otherworldly quality.
Sion’s most famous work is the portrait of President Corazon C. Aquino that appeared in The Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook 1986-1987. Appointed the official portrait artist during the Aquino Administration, his portraits of US First Lady Hillary Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister Noburo Nakshita, Taiwanese President Li Teng Hui, and US Secretary of State George Shultz were all given as gifts by Malacanang. Sion was likewise commissioned to do the portraits of all the country’s House Speakers which proudly grace the walls of Congress.
Sion’s portraits have since become prized works of proud clients. His latest celebrity client is broadcaster and philanthropist Mel Tiangco who was so impressed with the artist’s work that she commissioned him to do watercolor portraits of her whole family.
A Fine Arts graduate from The Philippine Women’s University, Sion also gained international exposure when he was invited to join an exhibit of Filipino artists at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in 1993.
Sion can create portrait masterpieces from pictures given to him—even old black and white photos you may want to preserve into real works of art.
His sample works are posted in  http://www.edwinsion.multiply.com for public viewing.