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Seamus Liam O'Brien Studios

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A weekly blog of what's going on in the studio; interests, tastes, and general hullabaloo.

Man holding a framed painting in front of a thrift store

Holding the finished painting in front of St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store before donating it; 2026

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling Robert Duncan 'Winter Friends'

February 1, 2026

A St. Paul resident reached out to me about donating a framed print for my duck project. She thought the piece was “ripe with inspiration,” and she was right! The framed print (23 1/8” x 31 1/8”) created by the artist Robert Duncan (the second piece I have done with this artist!!), illustrates a young boy constructing a snowman in a field, accompanied by a dog and another child observing from the sides. Originally titled, “Winter Friends.”

I painted a large snowman-themed rubber duck on the print and returned this ‘new’ painting to St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
(2939 12th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN) on January 31, 2026, around 1pm.

A successful collaboration! Thank you Bob for your contribution to the artwork.

NOTE - The person who framed the original print covered up a significant portion of the image with matte board that was glued (??!!??) to the top of the picture. To get to the signature, located on the lower left, I had to separate the two, thus damaging the top portion of the print a little bit. That’s the bad news.
The good news… is that you can’t see it behind the matte board! (But it’s there… just sayin)

Epilogue: I’m just a lowly artist with a background in entertainment who paints anthropomorphic ducks (among other things mind you). But with this project, all I can offer is some small reprieve from our current state of affairs.


Framed painting of a boy building a snowman with a dog and another child observing from the sides.

Original Robert Duncan print that was donated to me for this project.

Matted painting of a boy building a snowman in a field with a dog and another child observing from the sides.

The matted print once the picture was removed from its frame.

Matted painting of a boy building a snowman in a field next to a large, white, snowman themed rubber duck

Finished painting by Robert Duncan and Seamus Liam O’Brien. 2026

Framed painting of a boy building a snowman in a field next to a large, white, snowman themed rubber duck

The finished painting was placed back into its original frame.

A large, white, snowman themed rubber duck toy

Toy model I used for the painting.

Shirts, shoes, and paintings organized on shelves in a store.

The framed painting on the shelf at St Vincent Du Paul Thrift Store.


Walking into St. Vincent Du Paul Thrift Store and dropping off the painting.
* the painting was later moved to the other side of the store, above the shoes.

In Fine Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Painting, rubber duck art Tags art, artist, paint, painting, painter, painted, upcycled, upcycle, thrift store, thrifting, thrift, St Vincent Du PAul Thrift Store, Robert Duncan, Winter Friends, snowman, dog, friend, observing, watching, Snowman duck, rubber duck, ducky, rubberduck, snowmanduck, St Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, framed, frame, matteboard, matted, scarf, white duck
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