Jim Sharpe Biography Continued:

     ..."I grew up in small town Texas and could hardly wait to get out and see the world. My sense of adventure came from my heritage. The biggest influence in my life was the U.S. Navy ? flying jets off aircraft carriers at night and in all kinds of weather. After doing that dangerous work, I knew I could be whatever I wanted ... and what I wanted was to be a successful artist and illustrator."

     Once his duty in the Navy was completed, Jim attended The Art Center School in Los Angeles, California. After graduating, he moved to Detroit and worked as an art director, designer and illustrator. In 1968, he moved to the New York area to begin his freelance career and found success designing covers for such notable magazines as Time and TV Guide as well as book covers for Bantam, Dell, Berkeley, Reader's Digest and Scribner's. He created several postage stamps for the "Performing Arts" series including W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks, Duke Ellington, Enrico Caruso and Arturo Toscanini. During Christmas 1987, Jim accompanied Bob Hope's U.S.O. tour "Around the World in Eight Days" as a guest artist and painted the "Portrait of Bob Hope, Persian Gulf Christmas 1987."

      Working in oil on canvas, Sharpe's bold approach is the perfect complement to The Rodeo Series. "In my art, I try to capture the spirit of the western heritage. These are people who picked up their kids and households and just struck out for Texas, or wherever. I don't believe these were timid souls, but the adventuresome people of their era. The spirit of people who risk it all still very much appeals to me."

     Sharpe returned to Texas in 1993, to be close to his father and the land of his heritage.

Click here to return to the art of Jim Sharpe.