Portrait 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. 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.

Framed painting of a yellow rubber duck wearing rabbit ears in front of a lighthouse next to a white angel girl. — Finished artwork by Dona Gelsinger and Seamus Liam O’Brien, 2026

Thrift Store Painting Collaboration Continues - Upcycling a Dona Gelsinger painting

May 16, 2026

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…

Guy with sunglasses holding a painting of a wolf with a yellow rubber duck on its head in front of a Goodwill Thrift Store. — 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

February 22, 2026

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…

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

Latest & Greatest