Tim O’Brien

A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Tim O’Brien earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, in 1987. He then embarked on a career in illustration. Today, O’Brien creates intricately detailed illustrations and portraits from his Brooklyn, New York, studio. His art has appeared on the cover of TIME and been featured in Esquire, Der Spiegel, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, and Playboy. His other clients include book publishers, such as HarperCollins, Penguin, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster, and advertising agencies.

O’Brien’s work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, American Illustration, and the Society of Publication Designers. He is a winner of the Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators. In addition to being an illustrator, O’Brien is a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He also serves on the executive committee of the Society of Illustrators in New York and on the board of Irish American Writers and Artists.

O’Brien, a former boxer whose new passion is running marathons, lives in the historic Flatbush section of Brooklyn with his wife, Elizabeth Parisi, and their growing son.

The 2004 Moss Hart issuance was O’Brien’s first project for the U.S. Postal Service. Since then, he has created art for Hattie McDaniel (2006), Judy Garland (2006), and Danny Thomas (2012).