Frank Sanquest:Frank Sanquest, who has died aged 95, was the quintessential all-round artist. In a discipline where many struggle to make a go of things, he attained a lifetime of achievement as an accomplished, versatile and highly professional artist.
Besides being a fine portrait and landscape painter, Sanquest had a love affair with the theatre and for many years was resident set designer at Cork Opera House.
But he was also skilled in the art of silkscreen printing and illustrated books. He turned out many sketches, plus the occasional cartoon, and for several years was a fabric designer for a textile company.
Endowed with a gentle wit and wry sense of humour, Sanquest carried his expertise lightly and was the best of company. In spite of his advanced age, he played golf up to last year. And whether on the testing hills of Muskerry or the famed old course at Ballybunion - one of the toughest links in the world - he always insisted on pulling his own trolley, never bothering with an electric golf cart. Perhaps that explains why he always looked 20 years younger than his age.
With a keen eye on the real world, he capitalised on his golfing passion by painting scenes such as the 18th green at Killarney beside Lough Leine, one of the world's most picturesque golf holes, and a daunting challenge for golfers who have to play over water to reach the green. Down the years, lucrative copies of Sanquest's painting have been brought home by visiting American golfers.
Sanquest, who was born in 1912, was originally from Passage West, a quiet village in the lower reaches of Cork harbour. The family name came from his great grandfather, a Swedish doctor who arrived by ship, married a local girl, and set up a practice in the area.
As a young boy, Sanquest had a flair for drawing and in 1928, at the age of 16, began studying at the Crawford school of art in Cork, where he was later to lecture on a part-time basis for more than three decades, teaching fine art to architectural students and giving adult education courses.
Sanquest was mainly interested in classical art, and was a great admirer of the paintings of John Singer Sargent. He was also inspired by the works of James Tissot.
When he turned 20, Sanquest left for London to study fine art at the Central School of Art and later at the London College of Printing at Bolt Court, near Fleet Street.
On his return to Ireland, he became resident set designer and painter at the old Cork Opera House, a job he held until it burned down in 1954. Fortunately by then, to supplement his income from painting, Sanquest had recently joined the staff of the Cork Examiner, becoming art editor. He continued to paint and on his retirement resumed work as a full-time artist.
Though not a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), over the years he regularly showed pictures at its annual exhibitions, working mainly in pastels and watercolour. Four years ago he won the RHA's De Veres Award for a portrait judged to be a "work of distinction".
A past president of the Munster Fine Arts Society, Sanquest had little time for "installation" art, dismissing much of it as "rubbish in pursuit of notoriety".
Sanquest's many commissions included portraits of pianist Charles Lynch, composer Seán Ó Riada and political figures such as former taoiseach Jack Lynch, former president Patrick Hillery and former minister Peter Barry. He also painted visiting stars, including Movita, Douglas Fairbanks jnr and Peter Bowles of Irish RM fame, and was commissioned to paint the Jordanian royal family.
His theatrical interests saw the birth of the Southern Theatre Group, which he formed with two friends, Dan Donovan and James N Healy, both leading Cork actors of the day. The company was to stage a landmark run of John B Keane's play, Sive.
For the past 10 years, Sanquest worked from a studio at his daughter's home, where he died peacefully late on Christmas Day. He was predeceased by his wife, Rose, and is survived by sons Paul, Kevin, Peter and Nicolas and daughter Roz.
Frank Sanquest: born June 6th, 1912; died December 25th, 2007