Meet DC Metro-Based Artist Colin O’Brien

Assumpta by Colin O’Brien

COLIN O’BRIEN is a Hyattsville, MD (DC Metro area)-based artist, whose disciplines include painting, choral singing, writing (poetry, essay), and fashion design. (O'Brien.colin.j@gmail.com)

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area?

COLIN O’BRIEN (CB): I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn. and lived in Minnesota until I was 25. I moved from St. Paul to New York City in 1999 and lived there (Harlem and then Woodside, Queens) until 2010 when I moved to DC. I went east from Minnesota to have an adventure and to distance myself from a difficult family situation. I moved to the DC area because I was in a relationship with someone who was established here; I was also a little tired of the noise and pace of New York after 11 years. The relationship didn’t result in marriage, but we’re still close and dear friends, and I have a strong community in the DC area that supports me. I feel at home with the people here in a way I’ve not felt before.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist? 

CB: I would say I’m a Catholic artist. My faith is both central and foundational to my daily life; I’m a professed Benedictine oblate, which means I have made a promise to live according to the Rule of St. Benedict according to my state in life. From that monastic basis, I strive to live a life of “ora et labora” (prayer and work) that is central to Benedictine spirituality. My painting and writing is an expression of that faith, though I rarely paint works with explicitly “Catholic” themes. My paintings, however, have a noticeably religious spirit about them that viewers enter into. 

My personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts is to use my talents in service of evangelization; I wish to depict the Hope of life in Christ to viewers in fresh, accessible ways. Additionally, I hope to show to fellow Catholics that modern, contemporary art can still be a vehicle for evangelization. I think many people are tempted to look back to earlier periods, such as the Baroque, and remain fixed there as ideal time periods for Catholic art. To me, that strikes me as an admission of defeat; the Gospel is relevant to our own time and can be conveyed ever new using contemporary themes as a jumping-off point.

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

CB: I have to give credit first and foremost to Leo Feroleto, owner of Six Summit Gallery, who curates the art display at the Leo House in New York City. Leo House is a Catholic guest house/hostel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, a vibrant arts community. I’ve been blessed to have Leo invite me to display my paintings there, where hundreds of guests pass by them.

I think, however, that the Church needs to do much better generally in supporting the arts. By this I mean that religious education should incorporate an artistic dimension. A painting or sculpture needs to be “read” in order to understand the fullness of the symbolism contained within. We direct much effort toward literacy with regard to text, but very little toward understanding visual symbolism, which leaves us bereft.

In addition to education, we need to cultivate an understanding of art as a common good: it’s not enough for artists to be trained to make beautiful works that convey the faith or that enhance the liturgical life of the Church. We also need to foster a spirit of communal support by encouraging people of faith to buy pieces by contemporary artists, for example. We need gallerists, impresarios, and collectors who are willing to give material and spiritual support to artists.

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

CB: Among the artists here in the Route 1 community, it has not really come up as a topic of extended conversation, I’m sad to admit. During open studio tours, I’ve mentioned the faith aspects of my paintings. I talk about faith with one of my artist acquaintances; he talks about the church he goes to, and one time he came to evensong that I sang with the Anglican Ordinariate community.

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

CB: Recognize our contributions and being willing to pay for our works. I know many church musicians who volunteer their time, or who are asked to sing for friends’ weddings and the like on a volunteer basis because it’s “for the church.” Musicians ought to be compensated fairly. I volunteer to sing in my parish choir, as well as in the schola with my Benedictine oblate community, and also for evensong once a month with the Anglican Ordinariate community; I’m at home with those and it’s a way of doing service. However, especially for weddings, couples ought to be willing to budget the musicians’ time into their wedding plans, rather than to expect friends to volunteer.

For the visual arts, as I said earlier, I think educating Catholics on their own artistic heritage is fundamental. This can, at the practical level, mean having discussion groups or retreats at the parish with artists or art historians who can talk about the importance of art in supporting evangelization. Paintings and sculpture can strengthen devotion serve as catechetical works as much as they are beautiful adornments.

Additionally, we need to know that there are current, living artists of faith who are creating beautiful works reflecting and illuminating our faith; we ought to showcase those works and support the creators where we can. An example of this that comes to mind is the case of a couple from Ukraine who wrote icons on pieces of wood salvaged from ammunition crates from the war currently going on in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Philadelphia displayed had those icons on display inside the church in conjunction with the recent enthronement of their new archbishop. Through efforts like this, the Church exposes the faithful to contemporary artists and also potentially draws in people to view the works who might not otherwise go inside the church building. This can be a win-win situation where artists get exposure and support and the Church can introduce people to the beauty of her own artistic traditions.

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

CB: I think approaching artists of faith on their artistic merits is a good starting point, and the artists I’ve worked around have been good about that and supportive. 

CAC: Where in DC (and beyond) do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

I am a member of St. Jerome’s parish in Hyattsville, and I sing in the choir there. Additionally, I’m a Benedictine oblate of St. Anselm’s Abbey in northeast DC. I periodically go to pray the liturgy of the hours in choir with the Dominican brothers at the Dominican House of Studies, which I find particularly refreshing. The chapel is beautiful, and the brothers welcome the laity to pray with them. I also have friends who are members of the Anglican Ordinariate, which is in full communion with the Catholic Church but retains the Anglican liturgical and cultural traditions. Lastly, I also worship with the Ukrainian Greek Catholics at the Shrine of the Holy Family, particularly during Lent. The Byzantine liturgy has fullness and grandeur to it that I deeply appreciate; almost all of it is sung, with the congregation responding to the priest in harmonies. It’s a transcendent experience.

I periodically visit New York City and enjoy going to Mass at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, which is an exceptionally beautiful Gothic church with stained glass windows, paintings, and statuary that make you feel like you’ve stepped into a medieval cathedral.

CAC: Where in the DC metro area do you regularly find artistic fulfillment? Where do you go to get inspired? 

CB: Washington, DC is a great area for free museums: the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, and the Renwick Gallery are all favorite places for me to go spend an afternoon.

A lot of my work is inspired by things I’ve seen in dreams or by things I read, so often any place that’s quiet where I can have some time of silent prayer or reading is where I can exercise my imagination. Periodically I will see an image or a phrase will come to me while I’m at Mass, and I tend especially to pay attention to those things that come to me while I’m praying.

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in the DC metro area?

CB: My parish has a rather strong community, so when I moved here I was already dialed in through the woman I was seeing at the time. Over the years, I’ve been able to build a large and supportive network of friends, including with people I’ve met from social media. Ironically, I don’t have much of a network of artists that I socialize with regularly, so I’m in some ways an outsider to the artistic community. I’m an introverted person, so “networking” type events are not something I tend to seek out, preferring instead to spend time with close trusted friends. I have 24-hour access to my studio space, so I work there on weekends or at night; my favorite time is when I’m there by myself and I can turn up my music while I work. 

Phthalo Blue by Colin O’Brien

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice? And if you have a spiritual director, how did you find that person?

CB: As a Benedictine oblate, my primary devotion is to pray the liturgy of the hours each day. I do my best to pray morning prayer and evening prayer, as well as the office of readings. Additionally, I go to daily Mass at noon, which is the center and focus of my work day. Sometimes I pray the rosary, too, but it’s not a regular daily practice. I carry a pocket copy of the Rule of St. Benedict around in my backpack and periodically take it out to read and meditate upon. Though it’s primarily a rule of governing religious life, it’s also a rich spiritual text that has many principles worth emulating and incorporating into your life.

My spiritual director is one of the Benedictine monks at St. Anselm’s. He is also the oblate director, so it is through him that I came to be an oblate. I met him at the recommendation of one of the other monks, who recommended him to me as a spiritual director.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?

CB: I’m a little embarrassed to admit that my practice is very much start-and-stop. I’ve had some health problems over the past year or so that have left me easily fatigued. As a result, I’m often tired out after a full day of working at my full-time job. However, I’ve noticed that my mood significantly improves if I do even about an hour’s work in the studio. I try to get in a couple of hours each week, even if it’s just to put a coat of gesso on a panel.

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

CB: I recently was in New York in conjunction with the High Line Open Studios Tour in Chelsea, as the Leo House was one of the stops on the tour. I enjoyed visiting other artists there and also interacting with people who came to see the works on display at the Leo House. A thing that moves me is when people ask me about my work and I explain to them the symbolism or the meaning I’m trying to convey, and they open up about their own spiritual lives or emotions. To have an experience of knowing I’ve reached the heart of the viewer is a very special feeling.

CAC: How do you afford housing as an artist?

CB: I work a full-time job that allows me to pay my bills including my rent, car insurance, and expenses. I live in a house with roommates, after a time of living in an apartment by myself. I room with two of my closest friends, both of whom are self-employed. One of them was diagnosed this past winter with cancer and so I moved into a spare room upstairs at her house to help her out with expenses and to be of support while she undergoes treatment.

The Lovers by Colin O’Brien

I’ve sold some pieces, but at this point, I work primarily for my own pleasure rather than with a financial motive or an eye toward supporting myself through my work.

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in the DC metro area?

CB: I would encourage people to visit the studios and galleries along the Route 1 corridor just outside Washington in Prince George’s County. There are new restaurants opening there these days, as well as craft breweries and Vigilante Coffee in Hyattsville, which is an artist-friendly space with the SoHy Gallery next door. We have an art supply shop, Artist & Craftsman, that is a bit of a hub for local artists to get supplies and to banter with the friendly staff. We’re just down the road from the University of Maryland campus in College Park, and the Catholic University of America in Northeast DC, so there’s a nearby college scene.