The successful mission was even more out of this world after a previous mission, carrying six of his pieces, was unsuccessful. It was the first time in over 50 years that an American spacecraft touched down successfully on the surface of the moon and the privately built lunar lander carried with it a collection of works of art, music, poetry, writing and film stills archived, in miniature, in what’s called The Lunar Codex, the brainchild of physicist Dr Samuel Peralta, who dreamt up the project as a way of inspiring artists to keep creating during the Covid pandemic.
Reflecting on the impact of having his work included, Laurence said at the time: “The enormity of the project absolutely makes me stop and think, ‘wow, now that is quite something’. A great sense of humility comes over you, because you were one of the very lucky ones to be a part of this great project that will be there long after my time has passed, here.”
Born in Bray, Laurence moved to the US when he turned 18 and now lives in Kilkenny. Of his latest exhibition, which comes to Bray’s Signal Arts Centre at the end of the month, he said it focuses on “the many places in Ireland that I have travelled over the recent years”.
“These are memories and ‘stop you in my tracks’ moments that this land continually throws up, the light cutting across the land, the skies opening up to battle and break the incessant grey, the billowing white towering clouds that dominate and protect this land,” he said.
“Primarily, these pieces are painted in oil on canvas with a lot of the pieces turned out in panoramic form, for this is where the viewer really gets to feel the vista, to see the scope of this ever-changing land. County Wicklow, where I was born, features heavily in this show, as it always has in my professional painting career, and probably always will. This is going to be a show of colour, of energy, it will be an insight into how I see this land and what I find important in it.
Laurence O’Toole is a realist painter in both oil and acrylic, whose work is a melding of figurative and nature with a surrealist approach to convey the message in his works. A self-taught artist, he has had many solo shows, in Ireland and abroad and is present in many group shows including museums in the USA.
He has won two awards at the Royal Ulster Academy and has shown at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin and Royal Scottish Academy. His work has been collected by the OPW and featured in publications and in collections of Banks, film directors, actors, and state institutions.
He has also completed many residencies, including Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Spain and France.
More recently, his work has been included is in the 20 year anniversary of 9/11, which is touring the States and shows in Gallery 33 Contemporary in the USA , Signet Contemporary, London and Hambly and Hambly here in Ireland. He is a part of the Chianciano Art Biennale 2024, in Italy and was a finalist in Lethbridge 2000 art awards Australia.
