H. Alvin Sharpe, etching, “Green Shutters”, 12 x 10 1/2”Sharpe was born in Corbin, Ky., and moved in 1931 to New Orleans, where he worked on the docks and later became a deck hand. Self-educated after the seventh grade, Sharpe was a creative soul who sought an outlet for his talent and interest in painting.Despite his lack of formal training, he successfully completed a commission to paint several ceiling murals at the New Orleans Board of Trade Building (also known as the Cotton Exchange).At the onset of World War II, Sharpe became a Merchant Marine and quickly rose to first mate on the U.S.S. Algiers. He is credited with having helped smuggle Jews out of Nazi Germany and, before leaving the Merchant Marine, he was made a ship's captain.After the war, Sharpe traveled to Paris, where he planned to attend art school, but after only a short time as a student, decided to forgo a formal European education in art and returned to New Orleans.Making a living locally as a painter, Sharpe also had dabbled in the art of intaglio -- inscribing metal -- and fashioned the first Mardi Gras doubloon for the Rex organization in 1959. As the now-famous story goes, he presented the prototype by throwing the aluminum coins at the Rex captain to prove that they were safe, and the rest, as they say, is history.In addition to the many paintings and etchings -- mostly depicting local scenes such as courtyards, homes and landscapes, as well as sailing ships -- Sharpe also produced a collection of his writings and poetry titled "Collective Meditations," published in 1979.

12 x 10.5 in

10 lb