New sign painting on a scrap piece of wood. "Forty Two*", 22.5 x 24", acrylic paint on 1/4" thick plywood. 42 is the famously calculated 'Answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything' via The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy…
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Finished upcycled painting by Gea Caporiacco (?) and Seamus Liam O’Brien (2026)
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling a Gea Caporiacco(?) painting
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. 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 on July 2, 2026, around 6:45pm.
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Finished artwork by Dona Gelsinger and Seamus Liam O’Brien, 2026
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling a Dona Gelsinger painting
I purchased a framed print by the artist Dona Gelsinger from a thrift store in west St. Paul, MN. The image, rich with religious iconography, features a white angel girl looking up to the sky in prayer in front of an illuminated lighthouse by the shore. Surrounding the angel are two rabbits, a chipmunk, and a colorful array of flowers and trees. I painted a rubber duck wearing blue rabbit ears on the print and donated this ‘new’ artwork to the Goodwill Thrift Store in St. Paul, MN on…
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‘ICE’ and ‘CHILL’ signs by Seamus Liam O’Brien. 6 × 10” each
ICE CHILL ICE CHILL ICE CHILL ICE CHILL
I’m down to my last six ICE signs! I started painting these items to sell back in the Fall of 2025. Even painted them years earlier! ICE… as in frozen water. Get it? It’s cold in the Twin Cities, I brought you some ICE from MN! Hey… CHILL out and relax! Its hot where you live? I brought you some ICE from up north… Get It?????? But lord all mighty, a different type of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ended up coming to the city in the winter of 2025, and all hell broke loose! The word ICE took on a different meaning, especially here in the Twin Cities. And all my signs were pulled from…
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New 'ICE COLD' signs on wood
‘ICE COLD’, 6x6” each, acrylic paint on wood, 2026. I painted some ‘ICE COLD’ signs for an art event that was scheduled for May. But wouldn’t you know it, the event parameters changed, and now these signs aren’t applicable. I thought I was being smart by starting early, but it ended up biting me in the arse. What to do, what to do…
Well… if any of you are interested in purchasing a sign, just…
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Here's to you work pants... RIP
Artist Seamus Liam O’Brien holding the finished wolf/rubber duck painting in front of Goodwill Thrift Store.
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling an unknown wolf painting
I purchased a painting at a yard sale on the corner of Oxford St and Saint Clair Ave. in St Paul, MN. The painting features a large, gray wolf staring at the viewer from the center/right in front of a shadowy forest. There is no date or artist’s signature on the work.
I painted a rubber duck wearing sunglasses and holding a martini glass on the wolf’s head and donated this “new” artwork to Goodwill Thrift Store…
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Work pants... RIP
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'
A St. Paul resident reached out to me about donating a framed print for my duck project. She thought it was “ripe with inspiration,” and she was right! The framed print, by the artist Robert Duncan, 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…
‘Conjunctions,’ acrylic paint on wood, various sizes, 2026
New sign painting on various scraps of wood - conjunctions
New sign painting on various scrap pieces of wood I pick up at the shop. Not sure what it means, but between paint projects I like to paint conjunctions. I put them around the studio; try out different fonts and color combinations. “Conjunctions…
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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
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….
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‘Ice Cold Beer,’ 12x12,”acrylic/latex paint on MDF, 2025
New hand-painted BEER signs available to purchase at I-Like-You-MN
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…
Read MoreNew sign painting on photographs
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…
“OK”, acrylic and latex paint on wood panel, 10×10” each, 2025
I Finished Some New Artwork - OK(?)
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…
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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
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…
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Original painting of a woman in a blue dress by the artist B. Milavsky
Completed - commission for sign painting on a thrift store painting
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…
Original framed print by Marian Anderson - “Voice of the Lakes - Loons”
Thrift Store Painting Dropped off at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store - 09/06/2025
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!
New sign painting on MDF
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…
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Bob Sanders
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…
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Duck prints are now for sale at i-like-you-mn!
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!
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