Michael D. O'BrienDear Guests,

In all my work I seek to contribute to the restoration of Christian culture. I try to express the holiness of existence and the dignity of the human person situated in an incarnational universe. Each visual image and each work of prose is an incarnation of a word, a statement of faith. At the same time, it asks the questions: What is most noble and eternal in man? Who is he? Why does he exist? And what is his eternal destiny?

There are more than a hundred articles, interviews, and transcripts of talks available on this site, which can be accessed by selecting the specific category under Writings in the menu on the upper left side of the home page.

There are also four visual art categories for you to explore (see the categories in the Gallery menu on the left side of this page): the Profiled Works gallery usually contains paintings recently completed; these are the only ones available for purchase. However, I regret that I have no paintings available for purchase at this time. The Modern and Byzantine galleries contain images painted during the past forty years, which are no longer available for purchase. In the Recently Sold gallery are images purchased within the past year. Please note that most of the galleries have several pages of “thumbnail” images. In all galleries you may click on the thumbnail for a larger version of each image. Prints are not available for any of the paintings.

If you wish to inquire about purchasing a painting, please write to me by regular post at the address below:

Michael D. O’Brien,
P.O. Box 356,
Barry’s Bay, Ontario, K0J 1B0,
Canada.
or e-mail: michaelobrienstudio@gmail.com

I regret that I am unable to read manuscripts of books, short stories, poetry, or essays, and thank you for your understanding in this regard. Due to a great amount of creative work ahead of me, I am able to send out my (somewhat irregular) newsletter only from time to time, advising you about new publications and paintings or offering random ponderings on faith and culture. If you wish to receive these mailings, simply sign up via the e-mail subscribe box on the left side of this home page.

God bless you always, in our Saviour Jesus.

Michael D. O’Brien

New Michael O’Brien Book on the Apocalypse

 

Dear Friends of Studiobrien,

My new book, The Apocalpyse: Warning, Hope, and Consolation has just been published by Wiseblood Books. For more information, please visit the publisher’s page or amazon via the links below.
May our Saviour Jesus be your light, strength, and consolation always.
Michael D. O’Brien

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099158323X?pf_rd_p=d1f45e03-8b73-4c9a-9beb-4819111bef9a&pf_rd_r=WHRCQ9KXRBEXR3REKA0Y

https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p93/The_Apocalypse%3A_Warning%2C_Hope%2C_%26_Consolation.html
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The Great Apostasy

The Infidelity of the Future:  The Great Apostasy

Michael D. O’Brien

“When the Son of Man returns, will he find any faith left on earth?” (Luke 18: 18)

As in every generation, the “near future” approaches, never quite materializing in ways we had imagined. Because of this, our perennial temptation is to dismiss the teleology of history, and the eschatology of revelation, as mental constructs produced by irrational fears or limited by enflamed analyses of contemporary situations, a cycle that is supposedly repeated without end, never delivering the promised omni-catastrophe. Even so, according to Christ in the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, and the letters of Sts. Peter, Paul, and John, and the Old Testament prophets, as well as the ecclesially approved private revelations that have increased in number and intensity for the past 150 years, the time is drawing near when all speculative scenarios will evaporate in the face of a real and ultimate peril for mankind. Then the future will become the present. Its prologue will be an apostasy unprecedented in scope. Indeed, day by day this apostasy spreads all around us. Its climax is the Day of the Lord, a day of fire.

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A Letter to Writers and Artists

An Open Letter to Fellow Artists

Michael D. O’Brien

Dear Friends

I receive a very large number of letters from young Christian painters, writers, and musicians, and ask those of you who have written to me to forgive the lack of a reply. To answer even a fraction of the letters I receive would take about half of my work days, and I must humbly admit my limitations. The Lord has called me to focus on my primary task of creating.

I would like to write to you a few thoughts about our calling. This will be a sort of Combat Journal from the Culture Wars, penned by a battle scarred veteran. I hope it will cover most of the questions I am regularly asked.   (more…)

Reflections on the Church, July 2016

My grief over the current condition of the Church, both universal and particular (USA, Canada, Western Europe), is immense. Our chief temptation during this time of confusion is to bitterness, isolation, and dismay. Coming through these temptations, I’ve learned that our Lord always desires us to go deeper and farther. At the heart of everything is union with Him. But this union grows only by faith and by suffering. Experiencing rejection, false judgments by others, the failures of shepherds to be true spiritual fathers, a multitude of disorders in the Body of Christ … all of these are a test for us (sometimes a severe test).
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New Novel—The Fool of NYC

cover-Fool NYC

My new novel, The Fool of New York City, is now off the printing presses. The story is set in present day Manhattan and is the tale of two souls who are considered to be “fools” and “idiots” in the eyes of most people they encounter.

One is a literal giant, the other an amnesiac who believes he is the 17th century Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, hundreds of years old, aging more slowly than the rest of the human race. Billy the giant has also briefly suffered from amnesia years ago, and he understands the anguish of those who have lost their identity. He is an apparently simple person, a failed basketball player with an enormous good heart who takes Francisco under his wing after they meet through a seeming coincidence. Together they undertake a laborious search to discover Francisco’s true past.

The trail leads them to numerous adventures, into the shrouded realm of hidden memories, the ironies and complexities of human character and destiny, of catastrophic evil and of redemption. It is a journey into the mysterious dimensions of the mind. It is about trauma and remembrance in America.

The Fool of New York City can be ordered directly through the publisher, Ignatius Press, or through amazon.com or amazon.ca