Self-Portrait, Prismacolor & Ink

Rendered with tenderness and raw humor, this small-scale self-portrait by Edward Cushenberry captures a nude, tattooed figure taking a bathroom mirror selfie—an everyday gesture imbued here with vulnerability, playfulness, and formal precision. The layered media—Prismacolor, ink, graphite, and acrylic—mimic the surface quality of an instant photograph, but with the textures and imperfections of hand-rendered care. Cushenberry’s work often walks a line between documentation and diaristic fiction, and in this piece, the setting (complete with toilet paper roll and pink towel) underscores the ordinary with an uncanny sense of presence. At once modest and monumental, the drawing recalls the traditions of self-portraiture while reinventing them for a social media age—but without the screen, without the filter.

Object: Drawing

Title: Self-Portrait

Artist: Edward Cushenberry

Date: ca. 2020s

Technique: Prismacolor, ink, graphite, and acrylic paint

Medium: Bristol paper

Dimensions: 10.8 × 8.9 cm (4.25 × 3.5 in)

Signed: Yes, verso

Condition: Very good, with minor edge wear and surface marks typical of artist’s materials

Provenance: Private Collection