TITLE: Green Pea Series

Created in 1963, Lava Lamps are basically a glass vessel with a glob of wax, a liquid, and a light bulb at the bottom. The bulb heats the wax and it rises in the shape of a globule. The wax globule then falls as it cools from the top. It is recommended that Lava Lamps not be dropped. My wife's has fallen on the floor twice. After these traumatic accidents, the lamp began to create unusual wax shapes during its heating phase.

For lack of a better term, I call these shapes wax "sculptures". These sculptures are dynamic and are time-lapse captures. The captured images require minor post-editing and little or no manipulation. These are authentic captures and are devoid of any AI interference, influence, or interpretation. 100% Organic.

AUTHOR: Patrick OBrien (United States)


W. Patrick O’Brien was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After his parents gifted him with a Kodak Hawkeye camera on his 10th birthday, he developed an interest in capturing the world through film media. However, it was his fascination with the graphics of 1950s Sci-Fi paperback covers and 1960s psychedelia that increased his interest in the visual arts.

After receiving his BA degree in Radio/TV/Film from the University of Houston, O’Brien’s 45 year work resume includes experience in professional photo labs, commercial photography, lithography, aerial photomapping, audio/video production, and forensic imaging.

Retiring from forensics, O’Brien has challenged himself to create surreal and abstract images that, to paraphrase Rene Magritte, “restore the familiar to the strange”. Patrick’s images are not straightforward documentations, but interpretative transformations of his environment. He strives to be “anti-mundane” in his imagery, and credits Magritte, Max Ernst, man ray, and Jerry Uelsmann, as major influences. He is a member of the Texas Photographic Society, the Williamson County Art Guild, and the Photographic Society of America. His images have been published as well as shown at a multitude of juried, collaborative, and solo exhibits including all three U.S. coasts and the UK.