
BRIDIE O’BRIEN - AUSTRALIAN - b. 1979 - ARTIST BIO
2025
I am a visual artist and lifelong musician, raised on a working farm in country NSW, Australia.
After graduating from the Australian Institute of Music in 1998, I pursued a music career that carried me across continents. I earned a Diploma in Entertainment Design (Illustration) in 2005 and was accepted into the National Art School the following year, though my path veered elsewhere. For the next 15 years I lived a life of sound and travel, from busking on the streets of Scotland to living on a remote Caribbean island, and in 2019 touring nationally with Icehouse while playing lead guitar for Do Ri Mi.
In my thirties I worked as an audio engineer at the Art Gallery of NSW, overseeing lectures that became a turning point. Walking those gallery halls reignited a calling I could no longer ignore.
Since 2020 I have devoted myself to painting the natural world in oil. Working with a palette knife and bold colour, I bring landscapes to life through a language of abstract realism and contemporary impressionism. My practice is grounded in travel and time outdoors, bushwalking, snow camping, and observing the rhythms of light and land.
My work has been recognised as a finalist in major national prizes including the Paddington Art Prize, the Lethbridge Landscape Prize, and the National Capital Art Prize. I have exhibited nationally and internationally, with shows in Madrid, Austria, and Milan, and my paintings have appeared in magazines and on album covers.
My creative journey is enriched by self-directed study at some of the world’s great institutions including the Louvre in France (2019), New York’s gallery circuit (2022), Renaissance collections in Italy (2023), and Portugal’s museums (2025). Each has deepened my commitment to painting as a transformative force.
Every painting I create is a kind of poem, a dialogue with place, memory, and light. My aim is to reveal the deep kinship between art and the natural world, and the way both invite connection, empathy, and reflection.
After 27 years in Sydney, I have recently settled in Canberra. Surrounded by mountains and bushland, I feel at home and at peace.
Finalist:
2021 National Capital Art Prize
2022 Lethbridge Small-Scale Prize
2022 Paddington Art Prize
2023 Lethbridge Landscape Prize Salon Des Refuses
2024 Lethbridge Landscape Prize Salon Des Refuses
Exhibitions:
2021 Innsbruck Art Fair Austria
2021 The Other Art Fair Sydney (Dec)
2022 Milano Art Fair Italy
2022 Van Gogh Art Gallery Madrid
2022 The Other Art Fair Sydney (July + Dec)
2022 Solo Exhibition ‘Energy of Risk’ Corner Gallery Stanmore
2022 Group Exhibition ‘Interlude’ Sheer Gallery
2022 Art Goupie Group Exhibition Darlinghurst Road Gallery
2023 The Other Art Fair (Syd)
2024 The Other Art Fair (Sydney + Melb)
2024 The Affordable Art Fair (Sydney + Melbourne)
2024 Solo Exhibition ‘ Miles To Go Before I Sleep’ Aarwun Gallery Canberra
2025 Solo Exhibition ‘ Full Moon Sway’ Gallery Alchemy Milton
2025 Affordable Art Fair (Melb + Sydney)
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I have created a unique brand around my art called Beobe. The idea of Beobe came to me in a dream. And so, remembering that only the impossible is worth the effort, I have set out to deliver something that brings me a great deal of joy.
"There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures".
~ James Thurber
"Bridie's paintings invoke the beauty and intrigue of the landscape. She captures the snow, catches the light and conveys the mood of the sea".
Bridie's artworks are also available as giclee prints; the highest standard in true-to-life art prints.
Hustle your imagination - Get Beobe on your wall!
Thank you Bridie, I received the cards today - they are BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you so much, your talent is epic. David
I'm happy. I cannot find the words to tell how much I'm happy. Be sure I'll take care of it.
It arrived safely in Colorado, has been hung, and looks great! Thank you so much, I absolutely love it.
"Thank you, thank you, it came perfect, love it"
Bridie O'Brien
Artist
'Beobe' is the passionate creation of Australian visual artist and musician Bridie O'Brien.
Bridie sets out to deliver fine art paintings and museum-quality fine art prints.
Painting one-of-a-kind artworks by hand using pure oil paint and a palette knife.
Take a stand against mass production.
Hustle your imagination.
Put Beobe on your wall.
Learn more about The Beobe Story.