Meet Christine O’Brien

Christine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
On our family trips, my mother gave me drawing paper, pencils, and coloring books to keep me occupied during long car rides or on planes. Rendering scenes of my surroundings soon became a passion. In high school, I drew whatever reference came my way, including friends, family, pets, and lots of self-portraits. I knew then that studying the arts, being an artist, was my calling. I received a scholarship to a liberal arts college that offered a broad fine arts program, including rigorous classical instruction where we drew, painted, and studied the human figure from life. After graduating, I worked in the city of Chicago as an illustrator and graphic designer. I moved to California in 1990, and my career path took a curve where I worked for seven years in sales management and marketing. Art was never far from my heart, so I fed my soul via walk-in life drawing classes and night courses at UCLA to further my painting skills. After I had my son, I created paintings part-time out of a studio in West Hills, was an art docent at an elementary school, started doing portrait commissions, and taught private lessons. Eventually, I was able to transition to a full-time studio artist where I sell both online and through galleries, plus complete private commissions.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road as a professional artist can mimic a path of zig-zag brushstrokes. After I decided to create full-time, I had to pull away from the “negative nellies” in my life who were telling me I was too old, not going to be successful, nor make enough money. It became imperative to surround myself with positive support from a community of fellow artists, friends and family.

The initial time investment building a full-time art business was intense, but I treated it like any entrepreneur starting a new company. Working as an artist is an extremely competitive career where income can fluctuate, so it’s imperative not only to grow creatively but also manage expenses while continually seeking exposure and exhibition opportunities. I have had some challenges along the way, from failed gallery relationships to unsuccessful exhibitions. However, I see failure and rejection as the best lessons to learn and improve. Over time with consistent persistence, I am so grateful to have built up a client and collector base that allows me to continue practicing this wonderful calling. I hope my story inspires others that it’s never too late to go after their dream job and fulfill their creative passions. This artistic journey is a labor of love that I am willing to navigate. No looking back!

Please tell us more about your art.
I am a classically trained oil painter working in the style of realism. I am known for depicting the diverse California landscape and surrounding life by creating pictorial perspectives with modern compositions. My paintings span figurative to still life and are carefully composed scenes that are built-up with layers of thin to thick paint. I want my work to capture the feeling of a perfect day at the beach, the lavish detail of local botanicals, and the nostalgic beauty found in old collectibles that I acquire trolling LA’s many resale shops.

My business skills have an added value that helps me manage the non-art side of my studio, i.e., marketing, sales, public relations, documentation, and organization. However, my focus overall is to ensure my collectors and new clients know how special they are to me and my business. I receive the highest compliment when a collector shares that my art brings beauty and joy into their lives daily.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of the proudest moments of my career was completing and exhibiting larger than life, animal eye paintings, as an assemblage installation at a gallery in Sherman Oaks last October. The series of eight animal eyes began with “The Sad Zebra” in 2011. I envisioned painting different exotic eyes on the same sized canvases as a dynamic, “Eye” assemblage, named “Eyes to the Soul”. I spent quite a bit of time at various zoos, taking reference photography, sketching proportional compositions, and working on these eye portraits as my studio pet project. The last painting, “Tiger Eye”, was completed in September 2019. These animal eyes are full of sentimental memories as they have traveled with my son and me through three moves and a firestorm evacuation. Viewing them, finally installed together, had a powerful impact, and provided, for me, a pivotal accomplishment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.christineobrien.com/
• Phone: 805-638-0337
• Email: christine@christineobrien.com