Terrible news comes from Sydney that my dear friend, and brilliant artist, Martin Sharp has passed away from the emphysema that has plagued him for many years.
Thankfully I was able to visit him some months ago and spend three wonderful days in his delightful company, although I did fear at that time I would never see him again. I first got in touch with Mart to say how much I liked his article in the Bulletin about Tiny Tim, his later lifelong project.
I was amazed when he rang me and invited me up to his lovely house Wirian in Bellevue Hills Sydney. We had a fantastic time together, tripped at Luna Park (now that’s a story) and cemented a lifelong friendship which, although it has now ceased in this vale of tears, will go on forever in Eternity (he loved Arthur Stace) until we meet again somewhere over the Rainbow.
When I came up he had decided to sell the house – he was short of money as always – but I talked him out of it and he always referred to that night as “the night we saved Wirian”. We saw each other a lot in the 70’s but regrettably, due to my collapse and fall from grace, I lost touch with him for some years but he was always in my heart. I am looking at his wonderful Tiny Tim poster, signed to me, as I write this.
I was/am such a fan of his, his wonderful album covers, his lyrics for my favourite song by Cream “Tales of Brave Ulysses”, his fantastic collages and paintings, his love of music, his belief that Tiny Tim was not a buffoon but a living embodiment of the history of Pop Music, his ground-breaking layout and art in Australian and London Oz, his awesome Bob Dylan “circles” poster – I could go on forever.
My heart is breaking, I have lost one of the dearest people to me in the world. R.I.A dearest Mart, Rest In Art. Now you are the Angel of Art not just its creator.
Love you forever and ever.
The following is a short trailer from the ABC program – “Artscape” that was broadcast about Martin on 16th April of this year.
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3734062.htm
