Jack Sinclair Retrospective

Press Release:

A few years ago, long-time Santa Fe artist Jack Sinclair (Quigley) was diagnosed with PSP, a Parkinson type debilitating disease. Unable to physically paint anymore, he continued creating art using dark pastels to capture New Mexico’s landscape in stunning deep richness.  Now Jack Sinclair is unable to work anymore but with the help of his good friend Eli Levin, artist /gallery owner, and Jack’s son Ocean Quigley, artist and game designer, there will be a retrospective of his work at Argos Gallery/Studio at 1211 Luisa Street off Cordova Road.

Jack Sinclair’s art career encompassed varied disciplines: painting, drawing, building architectural models, etching, and set construction for the movies. Jack also had an edgy side to his work with early 8 mm avant-garde movies, photographs of mousetraps, and erotic etchings of angels.  He worked with Dr. Robert Bell’s groups and the late great Zara Kreigstein, Melinda Miles and Phyllis Sloane. Along Jerry West and Dave Mauldin, Jack’s inclusion in the 2005 Las Vegas, Nevada show entitled “Fifteen Santa Fe Artists” cemented his position as an important contributor to the post-modern “Realist” movement and the Santa Fe art scene.

Opening for “Jack Sinclair Retrospective: Masterworks in Oil, Pastel and Charcoal” will open on Friday, May 10 from 4-7 pm with a reception and refreshment. The retrospective will be up until May 31.

Argos Gallery/Studio is at 1211 Luisa St. off Cordova. 

 Jack Sinclair Paintings

Jack Sinclair Quotes:

Jack Sinclair thinks of himself as a “crypto-realist.”

“I paint what I see … almost: relatively mundane aspects of everyday life that provide entrance into the timeless world of light, color and form existing somewhere beyond.”

“Often I combine elements from several different such sources into one image. Working in this manner save me from falling victim to the ‘detail overload’ to which I often succumb when painting directly from nature.”

“When I started (painting) I thought most painters attracted pretty women.  These day I see that those women chase cinematographers, and, if artist at all, the ones who do installations.”

When asked ‘Who is the enemy?’ Jack replied:

“Greed and fear exquisitely played upon by the force of consumerist capitalism.”

“The intentions of advertising can be the opposite to those of art.”

         “When I visited Cuba, I felt that people behave differently than here.  They join together to help each other. No drive-by shooting, no drug addiction.

         The woman we stayed with had trouble with her heart, and we went with her to the hospital.  No forms to fill out, no insurance – they just took care of her.”

“I’d like to think my works transcends any particulars. It’s ageless.  It’s a clearer brand of realism. Which means I can eliminate details.”