Younger brother Greg Leigh & Paul JeffreyPaul Jeffrey Sharits was born in Denver, Colorado on February 7, 1943. His parents were Paul Edward Sharits and Florence May Romeo-Sharits. He had only one sibling; Greg L. Sharits, born on April 24, 1945.
He grew up in a nice south Denver neighborhood next door to his grandma and grandpa Romeo. While he was going to South High School he won first place with his oil painting, "WarHorses" (seen on the Sharits Gallery page).
He graduated from High School in 1960 at the age of 17. He also married my mother, Frances Trujillo, that July. Florence May was...well, not happy. Paul was too young to marry, so he got a note from Paul Edward.
Paul went to The University of Denver's School of Art where he earned a BFA in Painting. He was primarily a painter, but he soon discovered 16mm films and began a dialogue with Stan Brakhage that turned into a mentor/friendship. He made his first popular film Wintercourse in 1962.
In 1964, he went to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana for his MFA in visual design. On March 19,1965, Christopher was born. On August 3, 1965, my grandmother, Florence May Romeo-Sharits, died. After he received his MFA, we moved to Baltimore, Maryland. He went to work teaching at The Maryland Art Institute. He also helped form a Media Arts Center for Antioch in Yellow Springs, Ohio. My parents divorced in 1968. My mother and I moved to Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Gerry O'Grady at The University of Buffalo Center for Media Studies recruited experimental filmmakers from around the country. There was my father, James Blue, Hollis Framton, Tony Bannon, and Tony Conrad.
Throughout the 70's Paul continued to make films and paintings. Most reflected back to his film work. In 1979-80, Paul spent a year in Positano, Italy. I was lucky enough to spend February-April 1980 with him. During this year he produced a massive amount of acrylic line paintings usually titled "Posilo Series."
On September 6, 1980, his brother Greg, also a filmmaker and illustrator, died in Berkeley, California. Paul was very close to his brother. Paul continued to teach, paint, and work on video pieces throughout the 80's and into the 90's. On July 8, 1993, Paul died.
Paul was survived by myself, Christopher Sharits, his father, Paul E. Sharits and the rest of my family; my wife, Cheri, our two sons (now three), Gregory Paul, Jeffrey Patrick, and Robert Christopher. Paul E. Sharits passed away of a heart attack in his home on February 26, 2004. Paul Edward was 87 and almost made 88.
Paul suffered from Manic Depressive Disorder (now called BiPolar disorder). I also combat BiPolar disorder. There is a lot of misconceptions about bi-polar disorder. For one, many people don't realize some of our most cherished, talented, high functioning achievers were and are bi-polar. If you wish to learn the truth about BiPolar disorder, select the "About Bipolar disorder" from the links below.
Biography/filmography
Obituaries
About Bipolar disorder
Family Tree
