TAVISTOCK artist and illustrator Laura Wall had the grand unveiling of her largest commission to date earlier this month.

The commission, a 6m x 5m mural of Noah's Ark, is on the outside wall of Noah's Ark Child Care Centre next to Cattedown roundabout in Plymouth.

Nyree Squires, owner of the centre commissioned Laura to paint the mural, which consists of a Noah's Ark in the style of Laura's previous quirky work 'Love at the Seaside'.

The new painting sees the much loved characters of Laura's work gracing Noah's Ark in the form of Fisherman Pete taking the lead role as Noah himself, followed in two by two by Laura's beautifully depicted characters.

Laura said: 'It has been an artist's dream, creating all the different animals, I had to use a scissor lift as it is so big, it was quite a challenge using it and there were some funny stories that came from it!

'It was lovely to work with Nyree on my first mural — she sees it as a gift to the city as there is only one other mural in Plymouth, which is wonderful.'

The mural took six weeks to finish and features approximately 34 pairs of animals.

Nyree said: 'I chose Laura to paint the mural because of the fun and warmth of her paintings; I felt Laura's style would communicate well to the children and families of Plymouth.'

The unveiling of the mural brought together a lovely crowd of people, including families, children from the centre, news reporters and followers of Laura's art.

It was opened by special guest David Gibson from the National Marine Aquarium, who cut a ribbon on the mural.

The children and people of Plymouth came to watch and celebrate the finish of the mural and a special plaque has been made to put up alongside it with Laura's name on.

Laura said: 'This was a very special moment for me, it was very satisfying to see all the hard work paid off with such a lovely day'.

One of Laura's most recent ventures sees her work crossing the water and starting its journey in France. Madame Haddow from La Grande Gallerie based in Civray in the Poitou-Charentes region saw Laura's work in Devon and has invited her to exhibit with the gallery in the summer. Laura will be travelling over in August with a new series of French paintings.

To add to the excitement Laura received news this month from a children's book publisher who wants her to write and illustrate four children's books based on one of her characters from 'Love at the Seaside'.

Laura said: 'This really is a dream come true and has been one of my lifetime goals, I can't wait to get started.'

To follow Laura's progress over the next few months visit her blog at http://www.laurawall.com">www.laurawall.com