Francis Quirk Maritime Oil Painting and Seaside Family to be Auctioned January 1

Two Quirk paintings will find lucky new owners on January 1, at Robert L. Fosters Auction House in Newcastle Maine. In scrolling through the on-line images there is an eclectic mix of paintings of interest. Coastal Maine was once a major summer getaway for artists and the legacies of that annual migration remain as inventory for auctioneers to resell in estate sales and a vibrant arts community today.

The fist painting is an oil on board measuring 23 ½”x17 ½" of a three masted schooner sailing past a dramatic coast. We have not examined this painting in person. 

The painting certainly is dramatic with the use of a dark blue pallet and the reflection of moonlight on the water. The sails have some wind in them, but several are still furled. Perhaps the captain is sailing slowly and more carefully to avoid the rocky hazards that are all along the Maine Seaboard. It appears that the ship is paying respect to the foreboding granite shore.

Three Masted Schooner by Francis J. Quirk

We have a number of other maritime watercolor images in our archive which will eventually work there way into blog posts. We have also previously posted images of ships in the Lehigh University Collection, Link 1, Link 2) a water color of a battleship, and an oil of a ship under sail.

The second painting is an oil on canvas of a family at the shore measuring 30”x25”. It contains five figures on a rocky outcrop with three standing with bent fishing rods and two sitting in the foreground. In the background is the spray from a crashing wave and a cloudy sky with patches of light blue poking through. There is a hint of green coastline in the background and we suspect that this may be Kinney Shores in Saco where Quirk maintained a Summer Home he called 'Peterspen North.'

Oil Painting of a Family at the Shore by Francis J. Quirk

There is an interesting contrast among the figures as the standing fishers are taught and straining against there rods. The viewers eye is naturally drawn to the boy in the red overalls in the center and then moves through each standing figure in turn. After working standing bodies it then travels along the rod and down the line. But alas we cannot see the excitement on the other end. The feeling of activity is heightened by the wave action.

On the other hand. the sitters are calmly focused on a rod and taking in the scene. They are in a different placid world. Perhaps they are a couple pondering other things or enjoying a quiet moment while others are caught up in a storm of activity.

Like many of Quirk's paintings with people he has been aware of the importance of color and dressed the figures in a variety to add visual interest. It is not as finished as some Quirk paintings.

We also have another image of the painting we had obtained from other sources earlier that does not have the label. In that view, one can see how the rocky coast adds another element.

Painting of Figures at the Shore by Francis Quirk

Three Quirk Watercolors Coming up For Auction

Through our friend Richard, we have become aware of three Francis Quirk watercolors coming up for auction. Two are signed and dated 1965. All of them contain numerous figures engaged in sporting activities. The first has figures active at the shore theme, the second a general sports theme and the final has a sports figures in white theme. (Clicking on the links will take you to the auction page.)

Watercolor of figures at the shore by Francis J. Quirk  

Watercolor of Sporting Figures signed by Francis J. Quirk 1965

Watercolor of Sporting Figures in White signed by Francis J. Quirk 1965

This brings up the question as to the purpose of the works. He put considerable effort into getting the figures right and the background effects. They are more than just extensive collections of figure studies. Could they have been produced for illustrative purposes? Or was this produced for commercial sale? Professor Quirk had homes in Prescott, Arizona, Saco, Maine as well as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Selling art would have been helpful to support this real estate empire and raising two children. 

Quirk Paintings of the Newspaper Business

Among the many types and styles of work, we were intrigued by some Newspaper related works by Francis Quirk. The first two watercolors appear to be of the same man- an Editor or publisher of a paper. The oil painting of the young man typing recently was offered for auction on line and that spurred us to moving forward with this post. 

Francis J. Quirk Watercolor of a man in the Newspaper trade.

The painting above has some interesting subtle features. Note the window with the birch trees and reflection of the man.  The desk is littered with papers, cokes and a thermos (of coffee?) His tie is down and his sleeves are rolled up. With two phones, this is a man with an active day. 

Francis J. Quirk Watercolor of a man in the Newspaper trade.

This watercolor of the man standing is showing him in a commanding presence. The man in the background is almost in a deferential pose. The tools of his craft are prominently displayed- the black rotary phone, typewriter and in-out baskets. There is no email here!

Francis J. Quirk Oil painting of a man at a typewriter (possibly in the Newspaper trade.)

This painting recently came up for auction and we have included it in the Newspaper post.

Two Great Quirk Paintings

We recently cleaned and framed two paintings by Francis Quirk. They turned out very nicely. The first might be a painting of his daughter Ada-Lee. Judging by her tan, we suspect it was painted in Maine for a milestone birthday. It is hard to believe that the young vital person in this image might now look differently. It matches a painting of a young man whom could have been his his son James.  In a future post we will include all the images that we believe are of James.

One aspect of this fine painting that is particularly striking is the use of colors in the pink dress that includes turquoise and greens. 

Portrait of Ada-Lee Quirk (?) by Francis Quirk

The second painting is a self portrait, we suspect that the hand behind the back was hiding the brush. We have multiple self portrait images and will be combining them in to a single blog post at a later date.

Self Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Francis Quirk and the Deco Style

While there is no question that Quirk was a great talent with a brush and that he painted beautifully, he is less recognized for his versatility. One example of this is his brief foray into the  Art Deco style. This linear modern style was popular in the 1920's and into the 30's. The term is an abbreviation of the name of a pivotal exhibition the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts that took place in 1925.

Below are two pastels executed by Quirk in the Art Deco style. The use of color is striking. We captured these images when we examined the folio at the 2016 Maine Auction. As to their purpose we can only guess. Could they be Adam and Eve first in the presence of God and then later, being banished from Eden? Or were they executed to illustrate a science fiction story? 

Art Deco Pastel by Francis Quirk

Art Deco Pastel by Francis Quirk

FOUND! Francis Quirk's Portrait of Robert Strider, President of Colby College

The Colby College Museum of Art staff graciously tracked down the painting, which is technically owned by the College. We are grateful to Beth Finch, The Lunder Curator of American Art, for her gracious assistance with obtaining the image and sharing it with us. 

Robert Strider, President of Colby College Oil Portrait by Francis J. Quirk   Image courtesy of Colby College

While seeking information on Francis Quirk's retirement from Lehigh University, we came upon an old issue of an Alumni Magazine for Colby College from 1964 that had a reference to a donor providing a portrait of Colby College President Robert E. Strider. Quirk's son James attended and graduated from the College.  At the time James was the youngest graduate ever from the institution.

Colby College President Robert E. Strider painted by Francis Quirk
Compliments of Colby Alumnus 1964 Colby College Archives

In our quest for this painting, in an earlier blog post we had included a possible image, which we now know is not by Quirk.

Colby College President Robert E. Strider Standing  Compliments of Colby Alumnus 1964 Colby College Archives

  

Lehigh University Graciously Provides More Painting Images By Pennsylvania Artist Francis Quirk

Through some recent communications with Lehigh University we received images of two more paintings in their collection by Francis Quirk. We are greatly appreciative of their thoughtfulness and cooperation.The image quality is not the best. However, we will seek to get better representations down the road. Perhaps when we visit the Institution to comb through their archives. 

The first painting is interesting in that it uses his cubist, ethereal style and depicts a maritime subject- sailboats. Perhaps he executed it while in Maine.

Sailboat Painting by Francis J. Quirk
Photo courtesy of Lehigh University

The second is a rather standard portrait of an unnamed academic. The gentleman could be a University official or Professor.

Portrait painting by Francis J. Quirk
Photo courtesy of Lehigh University