Patrick O’Brien was a draftsman in a naval architecture firm and earned a degree in biology from the University of Virginia before attending art school. An illustrator and painter since 1985, he specialized in historic and prehistoric subjects, working with such clients as National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, The Smithsonian, and the U.S. Naval Institute. His artwork has appeared in magazines and newspapers, on posters and greeting cards, and even on billboards.

In 2003 he entered the marine art field. His first entry to the annual Mystic International Marine Art Exhibition won an Award of Excellence. At Mystic in 2007 his entry was used as the cover of the catalog for the show, and in 2010 his entry won the Museum Purchase Award, which means that Mystic Seaport Museum bought the painting for its permanent collection.

O'Brien's marine paintings have appeared in The Artist's Magazine and on the cover of Naval History magazine, and he was the subject of a four page cover article in Sea History magazine. In 2008, a production team making a documentary for The History Channel filmed O'Brien working in his studio.

In the fall of 2007, O'Brien had a one-man show of Civil War paintings at a gallery in Virginia. Three weeks after the show closed, the gallery was destroyed following a devastating fire. Some of O’Brien’s paintings were lost or damaged.

O'Brien has also had solo exhibitions at the Union League Club in New York City and at the Annapolis Marine Art Gallery. His work gained widespread attention in 2010 when the U.S. Naval Academy Museum mounted an exhibition entitled The Maritime Art of Patrick O’Brien, featuring twenty-eight oil paintings by the artist. Collectors of O’Brien’s work from across the country were proud to loan their artwork for this special event.

O'Brien has delivered lectures about his work at various maritime venues, including the opening of the Modern Marine Masters exhibition at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.

Mr. O’Brien is available for commission. He has created many commissioned paintings for private individuals as well as for such clients as:

- National Geographic Television
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- the U.S. Coast Guard
- ExxonMobile

His marine art is also available for sale in the art galleries shown on the galleries page.