Samuel Lewis Francis, American, 1923 to 1994, an oil on canvas abstract painting. Francis was initially influenced by the work of abstract expressionists such as Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky and Clyfford Still. His works of the early 1970s were referred to as Fresh Air pictures, created by adding pools, drips and splatters of color to wet bands of paint applied with a roller. American Abstract Art Paintings For Collectors.