Mike O'Brien is a painter based in Washington DC. His career began in the 2010's screenprinting posters for punk musicians and producing art shows at his studio space, Hole in the Sky. His paintings and prints have shown across the DMV at Strathmore Mansion, Studio 1469, Rhizome DC, Homme Gallery, Studio SoHy and the DC Lowbrow Invitational.

His latest work is a series of watercolor and acrylic paintings on contour-cut wood panels which explore symbols, compositions and lines inspired equally by the cartoons of his childhood and the American traditional tattoos of his adulthood. His bold lines and distinctive color palette retain the wonderment and confidence of his early punk influences, and while his screen-printing past continues to inform his style, his paintings reflect the distillation of his artistic practice and a new refinement of his skills.