Ed Maryon was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1931. A watercolorist and educator, he influenced students while maintaining an active professional life. He died in Salt Lake City in 2005.

Ed Maryon received his BFA from the University of Utah in 1952, and his MFA in 1956. He credits his undergraduate instructors, LeConte Stewart, Alvin Gittins, Arnold Friberg, and George Dibble, as the most influential in his life.

In 1962, Maryon was named chairman of the art department at the University of Utah. Throughout his teaching and administrative career, Maryon was a prolific watercolorist whose work was exhibited in local galleries. He won the Watercolor Society's Best of Show in 1981 and the gold medal award for annual national art exhibition in Springville in 1981.

Biography adapted from material supplied by the Artist's family.

Edward Deloy Maryon was born on Easter morning, April 5, 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the oldest child of Edward Baker and Helen Sorenson Maryon. He had two younger sisters: Joylenn, born 1932, and Gaylo, born in 1939. He grew up in the neighborhoods near Liberty Park, with family homes on Green Street and later Ninth South. He attended public schools, graduating from East High School in 1948.

Ed studied at the University of Utah from 1948 to 1952 and was active in many campus organizations, including Sigma Chi fraternity and the yearbook committee. He graduated in June 1952 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. That summer he was drafted into the army and sent to basic training at Fort Ord, California. He was assigned to work as an illustrator in the Reproductions and Publications section of the Army Language School. His love for the Monterey coast area developed during his two year assignment there.

Ed married Patricia Anne Bushman in 1953. Their first home was in Monterey, where they lived for another year until his service ended. Ed returned to the University of Utah and earned his M.F.A. degree in 1956. He worked in commercial art with Evans Advertising, then began teaching at the University of Utah in 1957.

During his 34 years with the university he worked as a professor, Chairman of the Art Department, Acting Dean and Dean of the College of Fine Arts. During his tenure as dean, the college expanded greatly with a new Art and Architecture center, new Museum of Fine Arts, and professional organizations in ballet and modern dance. He also served in state, national, and international art organizations during these years.

Ed was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, growing up in the First Ward in Salt Lake and continuing to serve in various callings throughout his life. He served as bishop of a student ward in the University Stake during the early 1960s, and enjoyed working with youth programs. He did illustrations for various church publications as well as several paintings for use in various visitor's centers.

Ed was well known as one of Utah's most respected painters during these busy years. He found time with his administrative work to keep painting and sketching. He always traveled with a sketch book or watercolors to find a little time for his art. He won numerous regional awards and held a number of one-man shows over the years. He began teaching an annual summer art workshop in 1970 on the Monterey peninsula that lasted for over 30 years, giving him an opportunity to return to this favorite location every year. Ed returned to full-time teaching at the U in 1981 and retired in 1991. He was able to continue painting and teaching occasional workshops for another 10 years until the effects of Parkinson's disease took away his ability to draw and paint.

Ed enjoyed a large and loving family. He and Pat are the parents of eight children: Ann, Ed Jr., Beth, Don, Kris, Robin, and Jane. They have a total of 23 grandchildren that have loved Ed's kindness and special attention. Ed and Pat divorced in 1981. In 1985 Ed married Judy Kurtz, and welcomed her children Ken and Kathy into the family, along with four more grandchildren.

Ed's influence as a father, husband, teacher and friend was profound. He had an uncommon ability to see and create beauty in his paintings, homes, and gardens, and he shared his talent unselfishly. His gentle style, dry wit, and generous nature endeared him to many, including physicians and caregivers in the last few years.

His wife, Judy Maryon, a former student advisor for the U. of U. Department of Art, is also a painter.

Edward Maryon passed away March 9, 2005 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Biography courtesy the artist's family.

Newspaper Articles

"72nd Utah Spring Salon: Springville Art Exhibition Includes A Dazzling Array Of First-Rate Utah Creativity." The Deseret News, April 28, 1996.

"Abstract Utah: Exhibit At Nora Eccles Harrison Museum Of Art Reveals 50 Years Of Artistic Evolution In State." The Deseret News, May 12, 1996.

"Coming Up: Visual Arts." The Salt Lake Tribune, July 14, 1996.

"Galleries." The Deseret News, January 8, 1995.

"In the Limelight." The Salt Lake Tribune, April 26, 1992.

"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, June 30, 2002.

"Showing At Local Galleries." The Deseret News, June 3, 2001.

Books

Maryon, Dan, ed. Ed Maryon, Reflections of the Artist. Midvale, UT: Cedar Tree Press, 2004.

Olpin, Robert S., William C. Seifrit, and Vern G. Swanson. Artists of Utah. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1999.

Swanson, Vern G., Robert S. Olpin, and William C. Seifrit. Utah Paintings and Sculpture. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 1991.