Artist Seamus Liam O’Brien holding the finished wolf/rubber duck painting in front of Goodwill Thrift Store.
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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“SINCE,” acrylic paint on wood, 4 × 4”, 2026
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…
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Holding the finished painting in front of St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store before donating it; 2026
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 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.
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 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 hand painted Xmas tree ornaments are now available for purchase at I-Like-You-MN in both of their Twin City locations - St Pauly + Minneapolis! (Acrylic paint on cut birch, 2025). Why not have the best Xmas tree on your block with the help of these handy-dandy ornaments! Why, Santa Claus himself.. will stop dead in his tracks when he sees such magnificent beauties on your tree!!
Read MoreI 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 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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New hand-painted CHILL signs now available for purchase.
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!!
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Original print by Erna Kasabach, ‘Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep’, 17.25 x 13.25” framed
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
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”
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
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…
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“Voice of the Lakes - Loons - Rubber Duck” by Marian Anderson and Seamus Liam O’Brien. Edition 1/1. 2025.
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…
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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…
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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Hand-painted hotdogs on masonite; acrylic paint, 5.5” diameter.
New HOTDOG magnets now for sale at I-Like-You-MN in NE Minneapolis AND ST. Paul.
Or purchase online via this link: HOTDOG MAGNETS.
Celebrate the summer in style with some hand-painted magnets for your refrigerator… or any magnetic surface for that matter! Acrylic paint on masonite, 5.5” diameter.
Patriotic red, white, and blue colors are available to represent all types of nations, including…
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New sign painting on a scrap piece of wood.
“Welcome, Welcome (2)”, acrylic paint on wood, 15 x 20”
The design is actually inspired by a sign I saw at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. There is a service elevator located downstairs that contractors must use to transport their equipment into the building. Kind of sort of near the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts area. In front of the elevator downstairs was an office door with a note on it that said, ‘Welcome Welcome.’ I would stare at it sometimes while we waited for the elevator. Ahhh, I can still hear that elevator sound…
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