Design and Art Australia Online

Penny Sharpe was born in Brisbane in 1941 and was encouraged in her artistic pursuits by her mother Estelle Sharpe. She acknowledges especially the influence of Miss Ida Martin , the art teacher at the Ascot State School, on her primary school education. She briefly attended Fairholme College, Toowoomba and completed junior high school at Clayfield College before enrolling in the commercial art course at the Central Technical College, Brisbane (CTC) where she studied with Melville Haysom. When Sharpe completed the course she worked as a commercial artist on a freelance basis so was able to obtain further instruction in Haysom’s Saturday morning classes where she developed a sure sense of draftsmanship. She tired of commercial art and worked as a governess for some time before she met and married David Murphy in 1963. She exhibited in the various prize competitions in Brisbane for some years: Caltex Centenary Prize (1959), Warana-Caltex Prize (1970-72), Redcliffe Art Contest (1961-64 and 1971-72) and the Royal National Association (1962-63, 1970 and 1972).

Sharpe became a member of the Glenmorgan Art Group (founded in 1970) which was one of the first groups to take advantage of the pottery courses offered through Mervyn Moriarty’s Australian Flying Arts School. Sharpe potted for more than 20 years, initially with the Brigalow Pottery Group, taking instruction from tutors such as Kevin Grealy, and produced pottery influenced by Japanese aesthetics. She held several exhibitions of her work in Toowoomba. Subsequently she spun and wove the fleece of her sheep and after taking a course in cloisonné work at the McGregor Summer School at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba became involved in jewellery making. On 27 April 2001 she held an exhibition of painting and jewellery exhibition at the R.M. William’s store in Toowoomba with fellow Glenmorgan artist Carol McCormack.

Writers:

Cooke, Glenn R.

Date written:

2005

Last updated:

2008