SEPTEMBER 2024: GOOSE FAIR & ITV
Robin Perko and I visited Nottingham's Goose Fair on Friday 27th Sept to paint the vintage rides before it opened to the public at 4pm. ITV Central News spotted us and we were featured on the 6pm news programme.
JULY 2024: PATCHINGS FESTIVAL
I am attending the Patchings Festival again this year. I have a stall in The Artists Marquee.
MAY 2024: NEW PLEIN-AIR GROUP
With fellow Nottingham artist Robin Perko, we have formed a new Plein-Air group called the Nottingham Painters Collective. Our first out was on Friar Lane Nottingham.
OCTOBER 2023: THE CHURCHILL ARMS BOOK
After four years in production, due to delays with Covid etc, my latest book, Raising a Glass to The Churchill Arms was launched at the pub in Kensington Church Street, with a fantastic opening speech by Randolph Churchill.
JULY 2023: PATCHINGS FESTIVAL
I am attending the 2023 Patchings Festival again this year.
APRIL 2023: RAF NEWTON STATUE
After twelve long years of planning, the statue I designed and was recreated by award-winning sculptor Tom Nicholls was unveiled on Sunday 23rd April, St George's Day.
JULY 2022: PATCHINGS FESTIVAL
After a two-year break, due to Covid restrictions, this fantastic celebration of all thing’s art, craft & design at Calverton, Nottinghamshire is back. The 2022 Patchings Festival, supported by The Artist, The Leisure Painter and PaintersOnline, runs from July 14th to 17th, 10am to 5pm daily. This year I am an exhibitor for the first time, so let me know if you have bought tickets and I will look out for you when you visit the ‘Painting Marquee’.
APRIL 2021: INSTAGRAM
It has been a long time coming, but I have finally arrived at Instagram. You can find me @timobrienart
MAY 2020: ARTIST magazine feature
Delighted to see my first feature published in July 2020 issue of The ARTIST magazine about sketching with the Royal Navy.
FEBRUARY 2020: Hendon
I met aviation journalist and former RAF pilot, David Learmount and his son Charles at the RAF Museum Hendon to hand-over my painting that David commissioned of his father Major LW Learmount DSO MC RFC, a pilot and squadron commander of 22 Squadron. You can read more about the story on David's blog at davidlearmount.com
NOVEMBER 2019: St Omer eagle
Pleased to say the restoration of the wooden pattern used to cast the bronze eagle on the British Air Services Memorial at Saint Omer, France is now complete; after it was rescued from potential destruction by RAF Air Cadets at 1936 (Newton) Squadron, based in south-Nottinghamshire. It has had a good clean and new lettering added, which I painted by hand. I also presented a slideshow to the Air Cadets highlighting the airfield’s heritage and how the bronze reliefs were created at the foundry.
AUGUST 2019: ARTIST magazine
Thrilled to be featured in the August 2019 issue of The ARTIST magazine with an item in the news section about my dining-room art for the Royal Air Force Club; featuring the Lincoln Cathedral painting celebrating the county’s rich aviation heritage. From an artistic and architectural perspective, I love St. Paul’s and York Minster, but this one remains my favourite.
JULY 2019: Patchings Festival
Delighted that I have a painting of a fishing boat selected for the Artist & Leisure Painter Exhibition at Patchings Art Centre, Calverton, Notts. The exhibition is open from July 11 – August 11th, organised in partnership with The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines.
MARCH 2019: Aviation Skills Partnership reception
Tim was invited to an evening reception hosted by Chloe Smith MP at the House of Commons in March 2019 that marked the sixth year of operation for ASP.
FEBRUARY 2019: RAF Club dining-room art
On the 22nd February I met the Levy family at the Royal Air Force Club for an informal ceremony to view my artwork specially created for the Club's dining-room. A project whose generous legacy gift helped finance the project.
MAY 2018: RAF Marham visit
This month, Tim visited the ‘Tornado Force HQ’ at RAF Marham, Norfolk as they are co-ordinating the RAF Centenary London Flypast in July. Tim is painting the event for the RAF Club, so discussed various aspects of his proposed composition and took the opportunity to sketch some of the resident Tornado aircraft.
OCTOBER 2017: Working with the RAF Salon Orchestra
Tim met the RAF Salon Orchestra this month at Lincoln Cathedral, where they were performing at a Matriculation Ceremony for defence students, so he could sketch and photograph them for a painting for the RAF Club's dining-room.
JUNE 2017: Awarded a prestigious art commission from the RAF Club
At their recent meeting, the Trustees of the Royal Air Force Club agreed to award a commission to Tim O’Brien to paint a series of 25 oil paintings for the Club’s dining-room that overlooks Green Park, London. Tim’s proposal features a varied look at the last 100 years of RAF heritage, including paintings of musicians, buildings and landscapes associated with the service. It is a project that is expected to take over a year to complete as the last painting will feature the RAF100 Flypast in July 2018.
MAY 2017: Meeting a Falklands legend
Tim met Black Buck pilot, Martin Withers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse where they exchanged books. Martin was presented with Tim’s book about RAF Syerston as he learned to fly there in 1969 and Tim received a signed copy of Vulcan 607 in return.
FEBRUARY 2017: Air Cadet 75th print presented to The Duchess of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge joined young air cadets at RAF Wittering on Tuesday 14th February 2017 who were taking part in their first camp. As the Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets she attended Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Wing’s Skill Development Camp and met several cadets experiencing their first camp. But, the highlight for Tim was the news that the Duchess of Cambridge received a framed limited edition print of Tim's 75th Anniversary montage painting from Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty. Tim adds "I am delighted and honoured that my artwork is being used as an ambassador for the air cadets in being presented during occasions such as these".
NOVEMBER 2016: Air Cadet 75th celebration at the RAF Club
Two paintings commissioned to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Air Training Corps were unveiled at a dinner hosted by the Air League at the RAF Club, Piccadilly, London. The formal parade painting depicts the Flagship event at Cranwell in August 2016 while the second is a montage of activities that were staged during the year. The aim of both paintings is to inspire the air cadets through innovative and creative artwork as well as recording their contribution during the anniversary.
JUNE 2016: RAF Waddington Centenary painting.
Artwork commissioned to celebrate RAF Waddington’s Centenary was officially unveiled at the base recently by the artist, Tim O'Brien and the station commander, Group Captain Al Marshall. The painting, which took several weeks to complete depicts the last 100 years of RAF Waddington’s history and highlights our close links to the City of Lincoln featuring both Lincoln Cathedral and the International Bomber Command Memorial Spire in the scene.The illustration shows some of the earliest aircraft flown from Waddington followed by the iconic Lancaster and Vulcan bombers right up to present day intelligence gathering aircraft such as the E-3D Sentry and Airseeker. The picture will now hang, in pride of place, in Station Headquarters.
JANUARY 2016: Joins the Royal Air Force Club.
Tim was elected as an affiliate member of the RAF Club in recognition of his services to aviation art and promoting aviation history to a wider audience.
JULY 2015: One-man exhibition at the RAF Club
Tim's one-man exhibition at The RAF Club, Piccadilly, London which opened on 23rd March closed on 6th July 2015; a successful show in terms of the number of original paintings sold.
ABOVE: Meeting the Levy family and members of the Royal Air Force Club. Photograph credit: RAF Club.
Photograph credit: Crown Copyright 2017 (RAF Wittering).
Gp Capt Marshall and Tim O'Brien unveiling the Centenary painting at Waddington. Photograph credit: Crown Copyright 2016 (RAF Waddington).
ABOVE LEFT: Tim O'Brien and ACM Sir Stephen Hillier at the unveiling of the ACO75th paintings at the RAF Club. ABOVE RIGHT: Tim and Martin Withers exchanging books at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, May 2017.
