Warren O'Brien began drawing while he was in public school. He tried different styles and techniques on his own, discovering what worked - and what didn't.
In high school Warren began formal training in the art classes. Unfortunately, like so many other talented students, he felt grading art was unfair. After all, who is to say what is "good" art. This was a constant source of frustration, but he did get good marks. The classes gave him the fundamental knowledge of perspective and the application of various mediums and techniques. From this he quickly developed his own style.
Warren is often inspired by animal life, both real and fictional. He really enjoys drawing or painting his interpretation of various creatures in habitats that may be peaceful, active or surreal.
Although it is a popular request, Warren does not do portraits of people. His specialty is animals, nature and scenery. He takes pleasure in painting because it give him the opportunity to frame and enhance the visual impressions he gets from the subject. Portrait customers usually want a degree of photo-realism, and Warren believes that creating an absolutely faithful reproduction of a person or scene is best left to photographers.
