Conor O’Brien

Originally from Massachusetts, Conor O’Brien is a long-time resident of Huntsville, Alabama, and has been painting since the age of 12 when he received his first oil paints and brushes.

Conor’s paintings feature people, places, and things—mostly in the southeastern United States. His painting process is as interesting as his paintings are beautiful. Most are done on prepared panels, but he sometimes paints on prepared linen canvas. He applies texture to the surface of the panel or canvas to give an interesting ground over which to paint. Conor often uses a wide format, making the horizontal dimension several times as much as the vertical. Most interestingly, he uses a limited palette that consists of a warm and cool version of each of the three primary colors, in addition to white and two or three earth colors. For most portrait work, he uses a Zorn palette consisting of only red, yellow ochre, black, and white.

Conor’s work has been included in important exhibitions at the Huntsville Museum of art and shown in several other art museums and galleries. His paintings can be found in a number of private and public collections in the U.S. and internationally. Conor is a highly regarded artist and is a generous mentor and teacher, having instructed many area artists who credit him for teaching them the essentials of oil painting.