Francis Quirk Brings Art to The Lehigh Valley Through the Annual Exhibition of American Contemporary Paintings

Over time our feeling has grown that Quirk's legacy extends beyond his work as a painter which first drew him to our attention. Then, we saw how his reach extended to his students, such as Helen Bacon Hoffman.  But perhaps equally important is his work in bringing arts to the Lehigh Valley.

In addition to bringing prominent artists and emerging trends into the campus galleries, he organized an Annual Exhibition of American Contemporary Paintings that was supported by Lehigh University alumni Ralph Wilson and his wife. (You can learn more about Ralph Wilson here.) 

Quirk reached out to six galleries for works including the following:

• East Hampton 
• Forum
• Frank Rehn
• Kraushaar
• Midtown
• Ogunquit

Over time many of these have closed.  We have tried unsuccessfully to find the Ogunquit and East Hampton Galleries.  Frank Rehn's papers are archived and include communications with Quirk that we have not yet focused on. 

At the exhibitions an opening reception was held with hostesses from the community. The exhibited paintings were for sale including one by Professor Quirk. 

The visitors to the exhibition were invited to vote for a favorite painting. This painting would be purchased and added to the permanent collection of Lehigh University. 

Presenting Artists

• Elyot Henderson
• Raymond Mintz
• James Penney
• Charles Coiner
• Robert Eric Moore
• Henry Strater
• Joe Lasker
• Johyn Heliker
• John Guerin
• Andree Ruellen
• Karl Schrag
• George Picken
• Cornelus Ruthenberg
• Kenneth Callahan
• Jason Schoener
• James Lechay
• Ruth Gikow
• William Thon
• Jerome Witkin
• Elsie Manville
• Tanos Ghikas
• Raphael Soyer
• Max Weber
• Peppino Mangravite
• Harmon Neill
• Manuel Ayaso
• David Lavine
• Patience Haley
• Ralph Dubin
• Francis J. Quirk
• Roy Moyer
• Kenneth Evett
• Balcombe Greene
• Robert La Hoten
• Wallace H. Smith
• Lenore Laine
• Chris Ritter
• Seri Berg
• John Hartell
• Carolyn Cross
• Zona

Quirk was helping to boost the careers of these artists by giving them exposure,  an exhibition line on their resumes, a potential museum holding and a potential sale. 

While we have only scratched the surface of the list, we can see a few names that were prominent in the Ogunquit Art Colony including Henry Strater and Elyot Henderson. Henry Strater would be instrumental in the founding of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.  You can learn more about Strater through this Esquire profile found here. 

We do have high quality images of this pamphlet and are seeking to master posting them in a better format. 

Francis Quirk's Final Resting Place- Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco Maine

Through a line in a newspaper obituary we had long believed that Francis Quirk was buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine. However, we were unable to confirm that in our searches through gravestone sites and cemetery directories. 

We also had heard apocryphal stories surrounding his actual internment that left us a bit uncertain to what actually transpired. 

However, a relative has graciously provided this photo of Francis and Anna Quirk's tombstone at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine. 

The Latin(?) phrase below "Ars longa vita brevist est" did not translate well in google translate, so we would welcome feedback from our erudite readership as to the actual meaning. 

Tombstone for Artist Francis Quirk and his wife Anna in Saco Maine. 

Pastel Portrait of Francis Quirk's Daughter Ada-Lee

Ada-Lee Quirk is the only surviving child of Francis Quirk. She recently reached out to us and has graciously provided an image of a pastel portrait of herself at age 11. 

Pastel Portrait of Ada-Lee Quirk at age 11 by Francis Quirk

Ada-Lee also has several other works, so we are excited and anxiously hoping to see more images coming before too long. 

Also, a collector in Pennsylvania has graciously sent us personal letters and catalogs from a few exhibitions that Quirk was involved in. We are just beginning to dig into them. These will provide more information about him, his work and his efforts to bring arts to the Lehigh Valley region. 

Francis Quirk Watercolor Painting Emerges in Florida

Recently, a friend of this effort provided an image of a Francis Quirk painting that was previously unknown to us. The watercolor is hanging in a Florida home it depicts an early springtime scene with bare trees, but plantings in bloom. We do not know the exact location or date of the work. 

But one elements of Quirk's style is the depiction of the leafless tree at the right of the painting. It appears to mirror portions of the lumberjack painting we highlighted in this earlier post. 

Given that Quirk was in Pennsylvania during most of his springtimes, we suspect it was painted while he was either teaching at Ogontz College or Lehigh University.

Early Springtime Watercolor by Francis J. Quirk

Canadian Family Heirloom is a Quirk Maritime Painting

We recently heard from a gentleman in Montreal Canada who was fortunate to marry into the co-ownership of a Francis Quirk Maritime painting. He discovered it in storage with other cherished items in his home. It was originally purchased in Pennsylvania and we are seeking information on the executive and his wife who originally displayed it prominently in their home.

Maritime painting by Francis J. Quirk

The watercolor is dated 1939, so it was executed when Quirk was 32, teaching at Ogontz College and still seeking to establish himself as a commercial artist.  He had a fondness for painting boats that would last throughout his lifetime and when retiring he stated that he looked forward to returning to Maine to paint. This painting could have been executed in any number of locations including Maine, Cape Cod Massachusetts or even from memory in Pennsylvania.

The owner of the image finds it striking and lifelike as he stated "you can almost hear the waves rippling off the bow." Clearly Quirk's talent for realistic display shows through in the detailed rigging and the way the sails are almost tangibly filled with air. 

Maritime watercolor painting by Francis J. Quirk as in frame

And of course Professor Quirk leaves nothing to chance with his signature. A Francis Quirk signature is never ambiguous. 

Signature of Francis J. Quirk

Quirk Watercolor of Boats in a Harbor

This is the third and final post on the recent influx of images graciously provided by a collector of Francis Quirk's art. 

This rather loosely painted watercolor image features a man in a dory containing a lobster trap in the foreground, a fishing trawler as the dominant image and a background of wharf buildings beneath an overcast sky.  It was painted in 1937. The content reflects the time when fishing vessels were migrating from sail to engine power and lobster traps were still made of wood. 

1937 Watercolor Painting of Fishing Boats in Harbor by Francis Quirk

We do not know the location of the port. It probably was near Quirk's Maine home in Kinney Shores, so it could be Kennebunkport or Saco.  We have seen a building similar to the one at the right of the painting in another Quirk watercolor. while both are gray with an ascending exterior stairway, the roofs and fenestration are different. That painting is shown below.

Quirk Nautical Painting- The Black Star

As part of our ongoing quest to track-down the work of Francis Quirk we share the image of the Black Star- a three masted schooner under full sail. The ship is painted from the aft-starboard point of-view in moderate seas with a sky filled with billowing clouds.

The Black Star by Francis Quirk

Unlike the ship in our previous post, we were not able to find any information on a schooner by this name.  Interestingly, there was a shipping line established by an African American entrepreneur named Marcus Garvey that operated from 1919-1922. The name being a play on the famous Cunard White Star line that included the Titanic.