Welcome to the Show! Meet Seamus Liam O’Brien
Mr. O’Brien’s story starts under the big top. He spent his early years performing with his family in circuses across the United States, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Clyde Beatty Cole Bros., and the Shrine Circus. When his parents retired from the ring and settled in Central Florida, Liam traded the sawdust for pixie dust, performing as a costumed character at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
From there, he found his true calling with a brush in hand. For over twenty years, Liam worked as a scenic artist, painting sets and backdrops for amusement parks, retail spaces, and stage productions — select projects include the M&M Museum in Las Vegas, the Jurassic Park River Ride at Universal Studios (Orlando and Japan), Aritzia Super World NYC, Stussy NY SOHO, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop locations across the United States.
In 2006, he moved to New York City, where he became a production manager for world-renowned artists including Takashi Murakami, Michael Riedel, and Mickalene Thomas.
The artworks he helped bring to life and install with these artists now live in major collections and have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the globe.
By 2013, a new obsession took hold: sign painting. Starting with a few fliers and a lot of nerve in his Brooklyn neighborhood, Liam built a thriving practice across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. His clients have ranged from corner bodegas to the Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Sweetgreen, Gagosian Gallery, and David Zwirner Gallery.
In 2021, Liam and his family relocated to Minneapolis, where he joined the Target Corp. Workshop as a scenic artist and project manager, creating set pieces for photo shoots, videos, and ad campaigns. He continues to paint signs and murals for local businesses, public schools, and nonprofits throughout the Twin Cities — but somewhere along the way, he also developed a peculiar habit of painting rubber ducks onto thrift store paintings (see below).
Today, Liam lives and works in St. Paul, MN, with his wife and young daughter. He enjoys movies, fixing things, and, of course, painting.
Why are rubber ducks mysteriously appearing on Twin Cities thrift store artworks? Click image above for link to page. ⬆︎⬆︎
"Brooklyn artist Seamus Liam O'Brien returns to the circus with mesmerizing swirls and a pink elephant!"
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.
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.