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…
Read MoreI get some good comments from people about my rubber duck artwork
My duck artwork makes people very passionate sometimes (and that’s a good thing); negative and positive. And some people want to let me know how they feel…
Read MoreFinished 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.
Read More‘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…
Read MoreNew '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…
Read MoreNew 'NE Mpls Rocks!' magnets now available at I-Like-You-MN
New hand-painted refrigerator magnets are now available at ILikeYouMN, located in…..
NE Minneapolis! 5” diameter, acrylic paint on wood, 2026. That’s right folks, NORTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS ROCKS! Didn’t know that did you? Who says so? Me, that’s who! And I bet Prince dug it too! And with plenty of places to go and see there is never a dull moment! So why not celebrate this rich area of Minneapolis with a…
St. Paul Rocks! magnets by Seamus Liam O’Brien - 2026
New 'St. Paul Rocks!' magnets now available at ILikeYouMN
New hand-painted refrigerator magnets now available at ILikeYouMN in the Twin Cities.
5” diameter, acrylic paint on wood, 2026. (Because this batch kind of looks like baseballs I decided to go with the local team colors - St Paul Saints)
That’s right folks, little did you know that ST. PAUL ROCKS!
Read MoreArtist 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…
Read MoreWork pants... RIP
“SINCE,” acrylic paint on wood, 4 × 4”, 2026
New sign painting on wood - SINCE
Super small post but I thought I would upload it anyway…
New sign painting on a scrap piece of wood - ‘SINCE’, acrylic paint on wood, 4 x 4”, 2026.
In-between paint projects I like to paint signs, or in this case, a conjunction word. (A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.) Inspired by the classic SchoolHouse Rock commercial I used to watch as a kid.
This little piece joins the rest of my signs on my wall to create…
Read More‘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…
Read MoreOriginal 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….
Read More‘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 CHILL signs are now available at I-Like-You-MN
New hand-painted ‘CHILL’ signs are now available to purchase at a store called I-Like-You-MN in the Twin Cities! (6x10” each, acrylic paint on wood, $25 each) These wooden signs (with a hanger on the back) help to celebrate the winter season… or better yet, to help celebrate one’s dopeness at home! What better way to spruce up your old art collection or lonely book shelf than with a cool (pun intended) CHILL sign!!
Read MoreOriginal 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…
Read MoreOriginal 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!
“Now I lay me down to sleep with a rubber duck.” Painting by Erna Kasabach and Seamus Liam O’Brien. 2025
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Erna Kasabach
I purchased a framed print by the artist Erna Kasabach from Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in NE Minneapolis. “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.” 17.25 x 13.25”. The image depicts a small child looking up to the top right corner of the picture and praying. Originally priced: $6.00.
I painted a yellow rubber duck reading a blue book on the boy’s head, and I will return this new artwork back to the same thrift store… probably by mid-September. I’ll announce the drop off…
Read More“Voice of the Lakes - Loons - Rubber Duck” by Marian Anderson and Seamus Liam O’Brien. Edition 1/1. 2025.
Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Marian Anderson
My new thrift store painting is finished! This one was donated to me from a woman in Minneapolis, MN, after she read about my story in the Star Tribune. The original print, titled ‘Voice of the Lakes - Loons,’ was created by an artist named Marian Anderson (dated November 1981). I painted a Dracula-themed rubber duck in the background, along with some bats, and plan to drop off this painting…
Read MoreNew 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…