The timelessness of black and white photography and the desire to keep alive figurative narratives inspired these works by Michael O’Briant. By combining figures from found and original photographs, O’Briant was able to create his own unique compositions. These manufactured groupings typically reflect the solitude often encountered in crowds, while the individuals represented through their style and shape the artist’s view of our times. O’Briant used a technique of combining acrylic paints with glue to obtain a thick medium which dries semi-transparent, thus allowing for an aggressive layered surface while maintaining the soft visual effect typically created with oil glazing. O’Briant used wood panels, as well as panels constructed of smaller wooden blocks, and plexiglass panels as his canvases.
About Michael O'Briant
A native of North Carolina, O’Briant received his B.F.A. from East Carolina University and his M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has lived in Chicago for over six years and is represented in many private collections in the U.S. and Europe.
