Today we’d like to introduce you to Lawrence Oleary Jr. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Lawrence is award-winning, with 3 years of publications displayed in the Poetry House Museum NYC Titled “Poetry and Art.” Painting, 24×36 “St. Francis abstract” gifted to His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican 2019 Painting 10×12 Veterans piece “Freedom Isn’t Free” awarded to the White House 2019.
His dreams become a reality as his story is told through brush strokes of color, light, and imagination that dance on his canvas. A part of his spirit goes into each brush stroke.
Lawrence comes from a family of several generations of artists. His great- grandfather (of the same name) was originally from county Cork Ireland. He is said to have painted murals in churches and on clipper ships. His grandfather was a merchant mariner who would draw portraits for drinking money when he was in different ports. His father was a talented amateur artist who would paint in the style of the Realists. Thus, Norman Rockwell became his first exposure to art. During his childhood, Lawrence learned drawing, pastel, and oils from his
father with the reward of receiving his dad’s pastels or paint set when his talent matured. Brought up during tough financial times, as the oldest boy of five, each medium and tool was treasured; neither was easy to come by. Growing up in Rhode Island which is two-thirds water he developed a strong passion for the nautical world and currently travels on a boat art studio painting along the East Coast of the United States.
At the age of eight, he won a scholarship to an art course by LaSalle Extension University by drawing a character and submitting it from a comic book. He studied this course every month for three years, each month anxiously waiting for his next lesson to arrive and every other month a visit from an art professor. During that time, he created a studio in the basement of his home. His art teacher at the local school gave him his first heavy-style classroom easel that he still has to this day. He studied art during his years at Cumberland High School. At the age of ten, a wealthy English art collector, only remembered as Mr. Hayter, lived a street over from his parents’ home. After seeing some of his paintings, he asked Lawrence to paint a picture of one of his collectible beer steins. It was a small piece on an 8″x10” canvas. The man would look at it daily and ask Lawrence to make changes with lighting, highlights, and shadow. He eventually purchased it for thirty-five dollars. This was his first sale and first commission. Several more commissions from this same Englishman were painted over the following years. When the Englishman left for England, he wanted to take Lawrence with him to show in London. Offering to pay for his education, he was disappointed to learn that his offer was not acceptable to Lawrence’s parents. Lawrence had to work at an early age to bring money into the home to help support his family.
At fourteen years old, Lawrence visited his aunt and uncle in Chatham, MA, where he would eventually meet, befriend and study with artist Ralph Shephard for most of the summer. Mr. Shephard would occasionally give Lawrence one of his used paintbrushes, and Lawrence was thrilled. The elder Mr. Shephard painted nautical scenes and did touch-up artwork for museums.
During this time in his life, Lawrence also had the pleasure of studying with another older professional artist named Steve Gusty. Mr. Gusty was from Pawtucket, RI, and was Lawrence’s grandparents’ landlord. Mr. Gusty owned a sign company and art studio/gallery. He painted all of his signs freehand, and Lawrence would learn by watching. He helped Mr. Gusty in the shop for hours in exchange for art lessons. While studying with Mr. Gusty, Lawrence’s grandfather, James O’Leary (also an artist), would take him to the water to paint boats and nautical items on canvas. Growing up in Rhode Island, Lawrence was exposed to over four hundred miles of coastline and over thirty islands in a very
small state that is two-thirds water. There was much to see and paint.
Being a native of Rhode Island, Lawrence fell in love with ornate boats, ships, and buildings. His passion for nautical expression on canvas flourished. He studied with an artist at the Woonsocket YWCA on Saturdays for a year. Her name was Mrs. Newman. During that time period, he painted a large clipper ship which still hangs on the walls of the Cumberland High School Library today. He donated the painting to the school in honor of the school football team, “The Cumberland Clippers.”
While serving four years in the U.S.A.F., he would draw to cope with the horrors of war. He volunteered to sketch pastel portraits and landscapes for his fellow soldiers. He took personal pleasure knowing that those going through a tough period in their lives were comforted by his portraits.
Later in life, while continuing his studies at weekend art schools and at RI Community College and Rhode Island College, he fell in love with all of the arts. During his later years in life, he has studied the techniques of the masters with Master artist Daniel Edmondson who studied with David Laffelle and Rhode Island School of Design thus, expanding his knowledge of fine art. Lawrence’s passion has always been to remain open to knowledge and explore new avenues of creative expression. He continues to study as life learning never ends and loves to teach and create with other art enthusiasts.
Passionate for the arts, he works as a professional artist, actor, and musician. Lawrence has obtained a multitude of venues for telling his stories using color, perspective, brush strokes, texture, light, and shadow to let the viewer take a journey. Each of his works are personal to him, and as each painting finds a new home, he feels that a piece of him goes along with it to live on forever in the hearts and minds of the places where they hang. Currently, a highly successful eclectic fine artist working mostly in oil, his works are in demand by collectors worldwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The creative process has many roads and sidetracks. One of the most powerful aspects of being an artist is the ability to escape or create world messages. Being in the Viet Nam war my art took me and my fellow soldiers to places of distraction and peace many times.
One time I painted peoples’ dreams. I would sit and draw their favorite place in their mind and then paint it.
I lost one home in a fire, and much of my artwork from my younger years I have studied with many masters and have constantly moved forward in attempts to get my paintings viewed. That can be a very costly process.
I lost two homes along with my studios two times in the past forty years. Traveling the coast and painting along the East Coast has been a challenge. At times I am surrounded with my paintings and supplies to the point that I need to store them when they are not in shows.
Time constraints of doing commission were an issue in the past, but now I tell all of my commission collectors that it will be a year before it is finished. That took the pressure away, and it usually gets done before that.
I will not even give a commission unless I am completely satisfied with it. Painting is a constant problem-solving profession. I will look at pieces for hours and days just trying to figure out what it needs. I have an extensive checklist that I use when I finish a painting, and yes, sometimes I get angry at a piece and have to put it away for another time. A lesson that was taught by one of my professors years ago.
Of course, painting on a boat while the wind and waves move you is always a challenge. I painted a picture titled Dutch Harbor and held my brush out at arm’s length while doing each wave for six hours. So, I say God painted that one.
The one that went to Pope Francis, titled “St. Francis,” was done with help from my dog. While I was painting the 24×36 piece with heavy paint and pallet knife, I set it in my boat salon to dry. As usual I started another painting and was not watching. Well, my dog rubbed up against it and made some interesting blurs that I sort of liked. Then he got the paint all over the carpet and furniture, and I ended up buying all new. He then became a true artist. He is a yellow lab mix who is also my service dog as a disabled war vet.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional eclectic artist. I create works from both abstract and surreal to representational and figurative. My abstracts are set far apart and unique to my style and composition.
My abstract works over the past twenty years take on a new world of abstract expression.
I always know that a piece of my spirit goes into each painting and lives on forever.
Many of my works are of old places that have life history. While painting, I can almost see and feel the ghosts of those who were there. Like old buildings, boatyards, villages, and factories, to name a few. I think of the most basic things like. Who designed the building or area, and how excited they and their family and friends were. How they saw a future and a passion for something in their mind to come to life yet years later, it is an empty or broken-down shell, but once full of life, hope, and happiness to name just a few emotions. From small gas stations and coffee shops to old town halls, churches, and community centers. That is one of the reasons that I just finished the Richmond Hill Ford Community building after I heard in the news that it has become listed on the historic register. I sat there and painted it for two weeks.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
Well, growing up with a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who were artists was my biggest artistic gift. The only one who I was told worked as a professional painting church and ship murals was my great-grandfather. I was told he had my same name, but I am not sure. He lived and worked in Ireland and England.
Luck and a blessing were two paintings awarded to the pope and the president. An honor after an exhibit at the Wickford Art Gallery in RI. I did a very emotional painting, “Freedom Isn’t Free” It became a local article, and the GOP in RI framed the article and artwork and awarded it to President Trump in his birthday, 2019 Flag Day.
The one for the pope was “St. Francis” I was battling cancer and sent it to him after a dream I had of him. It is a large abstract of St. Francis the saint that the pope chose as his chosen same name.
When I was ten, a neighbor was an art collector from England and would have me paint beer steins, I would paint them and bring them to him. He would critique them, and I would go back and do the changes. I got 35 dollar each. I then did several painting that I sold to others, and would love to find and buy them today. Done in the early 1960s while attending art classes on Saturdays in Woonsocket RI I came here four years ago and started painting on-site at Delegal Marina and met so many wonderful folks teaching a few. I then move to my current location and really love Georgia, especially where I am now. Luck and divine guidance brought me her as it has everywhere I go and everything that I do.
Pricing:
- Painting already created are currently $7.00 per square inch unframed.
- Commissions are negotiated depending on the material, size, and amount of compositional elements
Contact Info:
- Website: lawrenceolearyjr.com
- Instagram: facebook.com/notaative
- Facebook: Lawrence Oleary Jr Fine Art
Image Credits
Lawrence R. O’Leary Jr.
