JOAN SHARROCK ........... Artist - Wildlife Painter
JOAN SHARROCK ........... Artist - Wildlife Painter
Number 3 - Autumn/Winter 1994BIRDS IN ART
1994"Recently I was privileged to join an elite group of artists whose work was being exhibited at the annual "Birds in Art" show in Wausau, Wisconsin." - Joan
Some of the Canadian contingent of artists at "Birds in Art":
left to right: Joan Sharrock, George McLean, Robert Bateman, Jeffrey Whiting.Painting:" Sand Jewel" (sold at Christie's)
In 1994 Joan Sharrock's painting of an Indian red jungle fowl was selected by the panel of judges for inclusion in the show. The small painting (8"x10") entitled "Sand Jewel" depicts a jungle fowl cockerel, which is native to India and Nepal, and is one of the ancestors of the domestic chicken.
Joan traveled to Wausau in early September to participate in the opening weekend's activities and spend time with some of the most famous names in the world of "wildlife art" as well as attend the receptions and meet the public on the show's opening day.
We flew to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, via Johannesburg and New York and then by light plane to the far north west of the country near the Angolan border. Here we stayed in a variety of camps and explored the fascinating desert country and the desolate coastline known as the Skeleton Coast. It got its name due to the many ships that wrecked there. The coast is home to sea-lion colonies and just inland are the famous, but elusive desert elephants. We moved around in landrovers and occasionally got stuck in the sand dunes . Mostly we encountered oryx (known here as gemsbok) a beautiful black, white and grey antelope and the similarly coloured ostrich.
The highlight of the trip was to spend over a week in Etosha National Park - a vast area protected for its wildlife. I had been in Etosha in 1984 and had brought my old map of its network of tourist "roads" which connect the many waterholes at which all the animals must visit to drink each day during the dry season. Despite a drought the animals were there in abundance, continually coming and going at the waterholes. Family groups of Damaraland zebras, which are more "coffee and cream" coloured than black and white and have shadow stripes between the wider stripes on their hindquarters. Every day we would see elephants - family herds and groups of bull elephants as well as lots of giraffes, kudu, springboks, red hartebeest and, luckily, still rhino - although they were a lot scarcer than on my previous visit.
We traveled around Etosha in a large bus and we each had a whole row of seats for our equipment. Moving from west to east through the park we stayed at each of the three lodges - Okaukuejo (pronounced okka-KWEE-yoo), Halali, and Namutoni (which used to be a German fort in colonial days) .
Safaris in Africa may be hot a sunny during the day but you need your socks and warm clothes at night - the desert is COLD in this part of the world after dark!
Our guides on the trip were Jan and Suzi van de Reep who have recently converted several former cattle "farms" just south of Etosha into a conservation area and have built Huab Lodge for visitors. They have cleared out fences, removed rubbish and encouraged the native animals to return to this sanctuary. Last word was that elephant herds were seen drinking near the Lodge - and there isn't a cow or a goat in sight!"
- Joan.
In July 1992 I went to Africa on a trip to gather reference material for my paintings. I traveled with a group of professional and amateur photographers and nature lovers - ideal traveling companions as they will spend every hour of daylight watching wildlife! 
FAMOUS RACCOON WINS AGAIN
Joan Sharrock's painting "Raccoon on a Limb" won second place in the People's Choice Award at the annual Brant Festival Art Show held in April 1994 in Parksville, BC
The painting had been an previous winner in the Ducks Unlimited BC Artist of the Year 1993 and 150 prints were published by DU for their fund raising banquets province-wide.
Fifteen Artist's Proof prints were made available to the Artist and a very small number are still available. Contact the artist for details. Go to see details now
The famous raccoon made his first appearance as a small pencil sketch in the finals of a Remarque Contest held by Wildlife Art News magazine in the September/October 1991 issue, entry #26 (for those who subscribe and , of course, keep their back copies!)
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