edward m. o’Hara – Artist Biography
O’Hara is a native New Yorker. He studied fine art at CUNY Queens College from 1977-1981. His professorial influences include Gabriel Laderman, Louis Finkelstein and Charles Cajori. His major artist influences are from the works of Willem DeKooning, Christopher Wool and Jaqueline Humphries among others.
In 2017 O’Hara presented 12 works at ArtSpace, New Haven. In 2019, he studied at the Art Students League in New York City with Bruce Dorfman. In 2020 O’Hara was one of three artists featured at Roost Gallery’s debut of its “Creative Conversations” program in New Paltz, NY. From 2021-2022, O’Hara delivered on ten separate commissions from private collectors.
O’Hara relocated from NYC to the Hudson Valley in early 2019 to dedicate his time to developing his art.
Professional Biography
Professionally, O’Hara founded SME Branding, a renowned, international strategic branding agency which helped clients generate hundreds of millions of dollars over the past three decades. His clients included the New York Yankees, Kentucky Derby, United States Olympic Committee, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Madison Square Garden, NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, LPGA, Adidas and FIFA World Cup.
As a result of his branding success, O’Hara has appeared on CBS ‘This Morning Saturday’, ESPN’s ‘Outside The Lines’ and CNN. He has interviewed in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.
Notable collectors
Kerry Carlson – Senior Vice President of Marketing, Xpressbet (FMR) – Saratoga, NY
Laurence Carr – Writer and Publisher, Lightwoodpress – Hudson Valley, NY
Nick Curtola – Executive Chef, The Four Horsemen – Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Greg Economou – Co-Founder & CEO, Game1 – Hollywood, CA
Bryan Harris – Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, Taylor Strategy (FMR) – Newport, Rhode Island
Robert Kissane – Chairman, CCS Fundraising – New York, NY
Drew Logan – Best Selling Author – Los Angeles, CA
Casey Ramage – SVP Marketing and Partnerships, The Kentucky Derby – Louisville, KY
Gina Soloperto – Behavioral Scientist & Founder, Glue, Inc. – New York, NY