Michael O'Brien

Michael O'Brien

michaelobrienart@gmail.com

Website: https://www.michaelobrienart.com

   9410 Rue de Bois, San Antonio, TX, 78254

I currently reside in San Antonio, TX with my wife and two step children. I majored in sculpture at Texas State University where I was first introduced to bronze casting methods and materials. After college I moved to Chicago where I took in the sights, sounds and most importantly the shifting moods of Lake Michigan. In 2005 I was encouraged to move back to Texas and work alongside my former college classmates at a commercial bronze foundry. The time spent there proved to be a formative period; I mastered the labor-intensive practice of bronze casting and developed a body of work inspired by water and my time living near the Great Lakes.

Now almost 20 years later, I still employ the age-old practice of bronze casting for the majority of my work. The varied surface effects created by combining texture and patina continues to intrigue me and I have found the heavy solid material convincingly conveys the formless and fluid characteristics of water.

More recently I have begun dipping my toes into newer creative technologies, namely, CNC machining. This process allows me to turn a digital photograph of water into a carved wood sculpture. Using reclaimed lumber and techniques learned from the bronze patina process I strive to create similar tones and feelings with wood and paint media.

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