Framed painting of a young boy constructing a snowman in a field with a dog a small child observing from the sides. — Original framed print by the artist Robert Duncan purchased at a thrift store in west St. Paul.

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling Robert Duncan

January 18, 2026

A St. Paul resident contacted me recently regarding a donation of a framed print for my duck project. The framed print, created by 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.

I painted a large snowman-themed rubber duck on the print and plan on returning this ‘new’ piece back to a thrift store sometime this winter. But I think…I think with this project I’m going to try something new….

‘Ice Cold Beer,’ 12x12,”acrylic/latex paint on MDF, 2025

New hand-painted BEER signs available to purchase at I-Like-You-MN

December 15, 2025

New hand-painted BEER signs available to purchase at I-Like-You-MN in the Twin Cities! But sorry, no quick link available for purchase. If you are interested in picking one up you will have to contact them, or me, the old-fashioned way: email or phone! But I’ll probably make more so…

New sign painting on photographs

December 12, 2025

I recently painted on top of some old photographs of my father, James Terence (Terry) O'Brien.
I think in the left picture he was around 18-20 years old(?). On the right, maybe 4-6 years old(?)
- 5 x 7" each, acrylic paint on photographic paper, 2025. I was trying to do something that was kind-of-sort-of-like the artist John Baldessari... but different, maybe. I used aspirational text for the work but why I chose those particular words for those particular photographs is unknown to me, it just felt right. This piece was challenging to paint because…

Three painted signs that say the word 'OK' — “OK”, acrylic and latex paint on wood panel, 10×10” each, 2025

I Finished Some New Artwork - OK(?)

November 10, 2025

I decided to make these really quick between projects, just something fun to do. There is a photo stylist at my job that has a handbag that says ‘OK’ all over it. I really like it, but it got me thinking about how much I say the word ‘OK’ throughout my life…

Pastel drawing of a caucasian child praying — Original print by Erna Kasabach, ‘Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep’, 17.25 x 13.25” framed

Thrift Store Painting Dropped off at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store - 09/27/2025 - Erna Kasabach

September 30, 2025

This summer I purchased a framed print by the artist Erna Kasabach (1906-1989) from Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in NE Minneapolis. The image depicts a young caucasian child kneeling in prayer in front of an illuminated background, gazing upwardly to his left. The phrase ‘Now I lay me down to sleep,’ is written below in a decorative freehand font…

Portrait painting of a woman in a blue dress — Original painting of a woman in a blue dress by the artist B. Milavsky

Completed - commission for sign painting on a thrift store painting

September 24, 2025

I got a commission recently to paint some text (in a word balloon) on a nifty thrift store painting;
36 x 24” text and design by the patron. The original painting, by B. Milavsky, is a portrait of a woman in a blue dress. It is unclear to me as to who the woman is or what her relationship was to the artist; the piece is not dated. But she kind of reminds me of the actress Amy Adams…

Framed print of two loon birds nesting by a lake on a foggy morning — Original framed print by Marian Anderson - “Voice of the Lakes - Loons”

Thrift Store Painting Dropped off at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store - 09/06/2025

September 10, 2025

In the spring of 2025 a woman in Minneapolis, MN gave me a framed print as a donation for my rubber duck series. The print, by the artist Marian Anderson, is titled “Voice of the Lakes - Loons,” and it depicts two Loon birds nesting near a body of water on a foggy morning. I painted a vampire-themed rubber duck on the print (have you ever heard the call of a Loon? It’s scary…) and returned this ‘new’ artwork to Hidden Treasures Thrift Store on 09/06/2025, around 6:50 pm.

A successful collaboration!
Thank you Marian for your contribution to the work!

Knock Knock Who's There? written in gold on a piece of white marble.

New sign painting on MDF

July 1, 2025

New sign painting on a scrap piece of MDF, painted to resemble faux marble. At my workplace, we create numerous samples, and one texture that consistently appears is marble. The Greeks and the Egyptians used it and well... it's still the product of choice for some reason. Something about it just speaks to people; it has an air of authenticity, it conveys "class."
So anyway, we had to clean out the sample library at work and…

Painting of ocean waves crashing into rocks on the shore with a large, yellow, rubber duck floating in the distance

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Bob Sanders

June 19, 2025

A few weeks ago, a woman in Minneapolis donated a framed print to me for my rubber duck series. The artwork, by Bob Sanders (b. 1950), is a picture of ocean waves crashing into rocks on the shore; measuring 23.5 x 33.5" (framed). I painted a large, yellow, rubber duck on the print and returned this 'new' artwork to the Goodwill in West St. Paul (1867 Robert St. S) on 06/16/25…

A white framed yellow rubber duck drawing and a white framed black rubber duck drawing.

Duck prints are now for sale at i-like-you-mn!

May 7, 2025

High-quality laser prints of some of my rubber duck dry pastel drawings are now for sale at i-like-you-mn in the Twin Cities!

—PRINTS ONLY - NOT FRAMED —
9 x 9”; signed and numbered; $30.00 each

Four different duck drawings to choose from!

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - J.S. Finona

April 28, 2025

I purchased a framed painting by the artist J.S. Finona from a garage sale on the corner of Saint Clair and Oxford; Saint Paul, Minnesota. The picture is a seascape with foreboding clouds and menacing waves crashing onto the shore. 19 x 23” framed. The seller told me he found the painting in his attic, but there is no other information about the artist. He or she might have been a local painter.

I painted a large, yellow, pirate rubber duck on the painting, and this piece was…

What a week! Artwork recognized in The Minnesota Star Tribune!

April 14, 2025

Thanks to the Star Tribune for the fun article about my artwork! “Why are rubber ducks mysteriously appearing on thrift store artworks? The story behind a St Paul man’s guerrilla art project” - by Richard Chin.

Dickies FLEX blue work pants with paint all over them.

Work pants... RIP

March 13, 2025

I tried to keep these work pants as long as I could but the rip in the knees just wouldn’t stop! At a certain point I just start to feel like a degenerate, so I buy new pants and begin the process again. I’ve gone through so much clothing in my lifetime, and I’m sure it isn’t as much as some, but I wonder where it all goes?

Still life painting with bottles, tomatoes, grapes, and a large rubber duck — The collaborative painting by Lucas and Seamus Liam O’Brien

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues...

March 10, 2025

I purchased a framed print by the artist Lucas from Goodwill Thrift Store (1239 University Ave W) in St Paul, MN. The picture is a still life with bottles, tomatoes, grapes, and garlic. I painted a Ben Franklin rubber duck on the print and returned this ‘new’ artwork back to the same thrift store on 03/02/2025, around 4:52 pm.

Person holding a purple sign that says ARCADE, painted green in a decorative font

New hand painted sign - ARCADE

February 13, 2025

New sign painting on a scrap piece of masonite: ARCADE - 9x17,” acrylic paint.

This one is a commission going out to an individual in the great state of Tennessee! Thank you for your purchase… and thanks for your interest in hand-painted signs!!

Interested in a sign? Then send me an email and let’s talk!! https://www.thewonderfulworldof.com/signpainting

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - els

January 21, 2025

I purchased a painting by the artist els (or maybe e/s?) from Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in NE Minneapolis. The landscape painting shows twelve red flowers in a dirt field… or maybe just flowers growing in a garden (it's pretty abstract). I painted a green rubber duck on the painting and returned this 'new' artwork back to the same thrift store on 1/18/25, around 12:56pm…

New duck model for my next thrift store painting

January 11, 2025

It’s almost done; the new thrift store painting is just about complete… I think. In any case, here is the new model, a delectable green rubber duck! Just in time for St. Patricks Day!

I’ll announce when I drop it off at the thrift store. Should be soon, and then on to the next one!

I finished a new painting and... I'm not sure what to title it!

November 18, 2024

So I completed a new painting that is both old and new. The two panels on the left are 6.5 x 10” each. They were painted in 2020 during the thick of the pandemic. My family and I were stuck in our little NYC apartment back then, and at that time, it felt as though time had no meaning. Tick, tock, tick, tock. I would bring my daughter down to the basement to watch Yellow Submarine on DVD and try to escape the boredom… sort of. During the Sixty Four part of the film the animation counts down (or maybe up?) to 64 (around the 2:00 mark), so these two paintings were taken directly from that sequence. It was just something I wanted to paint at that time; I had no restraints. I just enjoyed the process.

Painting of cows watching a boy and his dog walking in the snow pulling a large, blue, rubber duck. — New collaborative painting by Robert Duncan and Seamus Liam O’Brien

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Robert Duncan

May 3, 2024

I purchased a framed print by the artist Robert Duncan from GoodWill Thrift Store at 1239 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN. The print, ‘Curious Onlookers,’ shows cows watching a boy as he walks by with his dog in the snow. I painted a rubber duck on the print and returned this ‘new’ artwork back to the same thrift store on 5/01/2024, around 12:30pm….

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Judy Mandolf

April 25, 2024

I purchased a framed print by the artist Judy Mandolf from Hidden Treasures Thrift Store (2915 Pentagon Dr, Minneapolis). The print, 'Purple Tub,' is part of a "bathroom series created through a combination of photography and computer techniques." The image shows a purple/blue bathtub in a yellow/green bathroom…

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