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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.

Painting of a yellow rubber duck wearing a purple crown sitting between a little boy and a little girl

Finished upcycled painting by Gea Caporiacco (?) and Seamus Liam O’Brien (2026)

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling a Gea Caporiacco(?) painting

July 4, 2026

I purchased an oil painting at a yard sale at 25 Benhill Rd, St Paul, MN. The piece is a classic portrait of a young boy and girl seated side by side, staring out at the viewer, with realistic lighting, balanced composition, and rich textures. Between them, they’re holding open a blurry magazine or book. Their clothing suggests the 1920s or ‘30s, though that’s just a guess. The signature, located on the bottom right, is smeared so it’s hard to decipher the name or date. My best guess is that it says, Gea Caporiacco, but there is no information available about this artist online.

Fun fact: Caporiacco is a village of the municipality of Pagnacco in the province of Udine, Italy…
but that’s all I got! - Stretched canvas, 26x23”

Original price: $2.00

I painted a yellow rubber duck wearing a purple crown and holding a magic wand on the painting and donated this “new” artwork to Hidden Treasures Thrift Store (2915 Pentagon Dr. Minneapolis, MN) on July 2, 2026, around 6:45pm.

A successful collaboration! Thank you, Gea Caporiacco (?), for your contribution to the piece!!

Classic portrait painting of a young boy and girl seated side by side, staring out at the viewer.

The original painting I purchased at a yard sale in St. Paul, MN.

A painting of a yellow rubber duck wearing a purple crown and holding a purple star wand.

Detail of the rubber duck.

Man in a red shirt standing in a parking lot holding a portrait painting of two ghostly children.

Artist Seamus Liam O’Brien holding the finished painting in front of Hidden Treasures Thrift Store, NE Minneapolis, MN.

Bringing the finished painting into the thrift store.

Detail of a smeared artist signature on a painting.

The signature on the bottom right is smeared, but it kind of looks like it says, Gea Caporiacco. Date unknown.

Detail of artist's signatures on a painting.

When I finshed the piece I added my name next to the original artist’s signature on the bottom right.

Paintings sitting on a shelf in a store above a rack of shirts and sweaters.

I dropped the painting off at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store on 07/02/2026; 6:45pm.

In Fine Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Painting, rubber duck art Tags art, artist, paint, painting, rubberduck, rubber duck, duckey, ducky, duckie, yellow, purple crown, purple star wand, collaborative, upcycled, portrait painting, sailor boy, girl, ribbons, bow, Gea Caporiacco, artist signatures, portrait, portraiture, soft light, book, openmagazine, Hidden Treasures, Thrift Store, Minneapolis, MN, mpls, Minnesota, mn, pink, white, purple, donation, donate, Seamus, Liam, O'Brien, OBrien, seamusliamobrien, duckman, St Paul, Twin Cities, ghostly children, smear, smeared, artist signature, stretched canvas, Benhill Rd, oil painting, rubberduckart, thriftart, yellowrubberduck
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