education resource and teacher's notes - Townsville City Council

Vrrooom includes two sculptures by nationally
recognised Victorian sculptor Eamon O’Toole, a
self-confessed “revhead, artist and dirt bike rider.”
His passion for motorsports is only matched by
his enjoyment of the arts, and the two meet as
O’Toole pays homage to his favourite and iconic
motorbikes, cars, and motorsport heroes through
his sculptures.
Image: Eamon O’Toole Sidchrome tool cabinet 2006, plastic, enamel and
aluminium leaf, 141 x 89 x 31 cm.
Ipswich Art Gallery Collection. A
cquired through the Ipswich Arts Foundation, 2006
The works are full-scale replicas handcrafted
from plastic, aluminium and paint. However, the
artist wants them to look handmade - heightened
images of the pursuits and skills of his country
childhood. ‘’It’s important to have the artist’s
touch in them,’’ O’Toole says.
Discussing his early progress as a sports-mad art student, and the intent of his sculptures, O’Toole stated,
‘’I always thought art should be about what you like. Other people in high school art classes did things like
classical nudes but I just couldn’t go down that path.’’
‘’[My high school teacher] thought cars and bikes were boys’ stuff, and that I could have been a bit artier.
But how they’re made is what’s interesting for me.’’
O’Toole’s status as a leading contemporary artist was recently recognised with a 25 year retrospective
exhibition Revhead: The Motorsport Art of Eamon O’Toole at Ipswich Art Gallery, which included
sculptures of Ayrton Senna’s McLaren Formula One car and a ute.
Image: Eamon O’Toole Dick Johnson’s Racing Helmet 2012
Hand moulded plastic, enamel paint, aluminium lead and textas, 25.5 x 33cm
Ipswich Art Gallery Collection.
Commissioned by the Ipswich City Council, 2012
19.