Sharp's interest in art dates back to his early childhood when he carved figures from bars of Ivory soap. When my Dad was repairing a window, I used the putty as clay. All I wanted for my 16th birthday was a 50-pound bag of dry clay. And I got it. Sharp states that although he enjoys abstract art, he prefers to work with figures.
People recognize images more readily than abstracts.
I do strictly portrait and figurative work in a variety of mediums, including bronze, steel, plastics, clay, cast and formed concrete, and cast stone. A lot of it is self-taught. Despite his early artistic ambitions, Sharp tried a number of occupations before becoming a full-time artist. He worked in a factory, then went back to school and received degrees in business and law, and worked as an attorney for a few years. Ultimately I came to my senses and went back to art.