MEASUREMENTS:18"WX21"H FRAMED, MINT CONDITION/"in the style of" Samuel Lewis Francis (June 25, 1923 – November 4, 1994) was an American painter and printmaker. Francis painted large murals for the Kunsthalle, Basel in 1956-8 and for the Chase Manhattan Bank, New York in 1959.Between 1960 and 1963 he created several series of works, including the "Blue Balls" series. Consisting of biomorphic predominantly blue forms and drips, these works referenced the pain that resulted from the renal tuberculosis that he suffered in 1961.In the early to mid 1960s Francis was represented by the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York City.[4] He returned to California during the 1960s[1] and continued painting, mainly in Los Angeles, but also in Tokyo where he lived primarily in 1973-4. In 1965 Francis started a series of paintings that featured large areas of open canvas, minimal color and strong line.[5] His work evolved further after he began intensive Jungian analysis with Dr. James Kirsch in 1971 and began paying careful attention to his dreams and the unconscious images they suggested.Francis' works of the early 1970s have been referred to as Fresh Air pictures. Created by adding pools, drips and splatters of color to wet bands of paint applied with a roller, these works re-asserted the artist's interest in color. By 1973–4 many of Francis' paintings featured a formal grid or matrix made up of crossing tracks of color. Many of these matrix works were large in scale, measuring up to twenty feet long.After 1980 the formal structure of the grid gradually disappeared from Francis' work. He was extremely active as a printmaker, creating numerous etchings, lithographs and monotypes, many of which were executed in Santa Monica at the Litho Shop, which Francis owned.In 1984 Francis founded The Lapis Press with the goal of producing unusual and timely texts in visually compelling formats.During the last year of his life, suffering from prostate cancer and unable to paint with his right hand after a fall, in a final burst of energy he used his left hand to complete a dazzling series of about 150 small paintings before he died.He died in Santa Monica and was buried in Olema, in Marin County, California./Private collection, no documentation. We offer a 14day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your purchase send back for full refund within 14 days.