Featured Artist Andy O’Brien

Artist Andy O’Brien presents a colorful collection of stained glass windows and sculpture. Enjoy his work and visit his website to see more.

 

 

My glass creations are mainly of the Tiffany style, copper tape method, but I also create traditional leaded windows. Works range from suncatchers, windchimes, nightlights, candle holders and terrariums, to lamps and windows. Inherent colors, textures and patterns of the glass add emphasis and meaning to a piece and often influence design.

 

 

Ideas for windows may come from other artists, authors, geometry, science, nature, intuition, and life. At times, the glass provides them. My drawings are constantly changing during production, for a variety of reasons. Creative flow is what I call it.

 

 

An example is Warrior of the Rainbow. It was initially intended to be a Daliesque window, with DaVinci, Michelangelo and Van Gogh involved. Over two years in the making, the project was interrupted by life, commissions, day jobs, and artistic hesitation. Then, last year a white buffalo was born in Yellowstone. The final piece of the puzzle arrived… we have a Warrior!

 

 

Throughout my work I explore commonalities of existence. Our relationships, manifesting our thoughts, the ripples we create, maintain positivity, and achieving goals.

 

 

Part of my personal reward is awareness of art’s butterfly effect. While in London, a friend invited me to the head of a worldwide spiritual teachings and meditation lodge. Part of their practice uses the 6-pointed star as a focus to radiate peace and healing to others. I was fortunate to be the first stained glass artist to produce suncatcher stars for them. I’m blessed to know that these stars are in at least 22 countries around the world, radiating positive energy globally. I get a similar reward with my Friendship Compass Stars. They are a meaningful way to say thanks to dear friends. And so my butterflies can continue to flutter…

 

 

Over the course of my life, my average stay in one place is about 3.5 years. I have lived in Texas, California, Ireland, England, Connecticut and Vermont residences. This translates to many places to call home, many people to call friends, 13 schools, and jobs in multiple industries. All of these have created a vast depth of experiences to draw from.

 

 

Initially, I took two semesters of a stained-glass adult-ed class. I was rewarded with the one constant in my life in the 45 years henceforth. I have a sometimes contrary nature. So when our sincerely wonderful teacher assigned a “straight-line only” project, I organized my straight lines to create an open circle right in the middle of the piece. There is usually an exception to the rule.

 

 

At this point in my life, with 11 years in one place, my goal is to stay here long enough to have friends to grow old with. I plan to stop working for everyone else’s dream and concentrate solely on my own dream of thriving through my stained glass art.

 

 

Deep down, my own work has inspired me to be a Rainbow Warrior through my art. I am encouraged to inspire positivity in others. And while uplifting others, adding beautiful art to the mix.

 

Andrew O’Brien invites you to follow on Instagram.

 

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