Welcome to the Show! Meet Seamus Liam O’Brien
Mr. O'Brien spent the formative years of his life performing with his family in a number of circuses throughout the United States, including the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Clyde Beatty Cole Bros Circus, and the Shrine Circus. When his parents retired from the ring and settled in Central Florida, Liam continued to perform, but this time as a Costumed Character at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
For over fifteen years Liam worked as a Scenic Artist, painting set pieces and backdrops for a variety of amusement parks, retail stores, and stage shows. Select projects include: M&M Museum (Las Vegas, Nevada), Jurassic Park River Ride at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure (Orlando, FL) + Universal Studio's Japan (Osaka, Japan), and
Potbelly Sandwich Shop restaurants throughout the United States.
In 2006, Liam moved to New York City and worked as a production manager for a number of prominent Fine Artists, including: Takashi Murakami, Michael Riedel, and Mickalene Thomas. The artwork he helped produce with these artists is now in several notable art collections and has been widely exhibited in galleries and major art museums worldwide!
In 2013 Liam started painting signs and murals for local businesses throughout his Brooklyn neighborhood. This endeavor started with him going door to door with a handful of fliers… but eventually his craft garnered more interest and attention. Sign painting led him all over Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, painting signs on all types of surfaces; no job was too big… or too small! Select clients include: The Guggenheim Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, Sweetgreen restaurant chain, and the David Zwirner Gallery.
The COVID years brought change to the world, and in 2021, Liam and his family moved to Minneapolis, MN, to start something new. Liam continued in the arts as a Scenic Artist and project manager at Target Workshop, where we fabricate sets for product photo shoots, videos, and commercials. It was also around this time that Liam picked up a peculiar habit of painting rubber ducks on thrift store paintings, the likes of which we have never seen before!
Mr O'Brien currently lives/works in St. Paul, MN, with his wife and young daughter. He enjoys going to the movies, fixing things, and painting/drawing.
Parents - James Terence O'Brien + Gloria Camille O'Brien
My father discovered the art of juggling during his high school years and this passion lead him to begin performing on stage and vaudeville throughout the United States. He attended universities in Germany and France, and did a seasoned tour as the "Great Boston" for the illustrious Duffy Circus in Ireland.
Terry and Camille met in Washington D.C. at the National Security Agency where they both worked as linguists and cryptologists. The two did the improbable and ran away with the circus, spending fifteen years traveling around North America while raising a family. They performed on such shows as Clyde Beatty/Cole Bros. Circus, King Bros. Circus, Circo Atayde Mexico, Hanneford Circus, Carson and Barnes Circus, Nordmark Circus, TNT Circus, as well as on various television programs including the Mike Douglas Show, Circus (Canada), and the Bozo Show. In 2004, Terry wrote a book about his adventures on the circus entitled, Close but no cigar - A Street Urchins Tale.
This clip features the great Terry O'Brien and Company (Terry and Camille O'Brien) performing live on the hit Canadian television series 'Circus' (1978-1985). Starring singers Cal Dodd and Sharise Lawrence, this series offered the Big Top on the small screen, a weekly half hour of circus acts and musical entertainment.
"Brooklyn artist Seamus Liam O'Brien returns to the circus with mesmerizing swirls and a pink elephant!"
Let’s Connect!
Interested in some artwork? Need a duck painting? What about a mural? Let’s collaborate! Reach out to me on my CONTACTS PAGE.