Terry (Terrence) O’Shea was born in Los Angeles, studied at Chouinard Art Institute (which later became CalArts), and was part of the Los Angeles art scene in the 1960s and 70s. He is known for his work in polyester resin, which appealed to him as a medium because it could be machined like wood but also had the transparency of glass. He became expert at manipulating this challenging material, creating layered and polished forms that reflect, refract, and transmit light as if they had an internal glow. His work is thus intimately connected to that of other Light and Space and so-called “finish fetish” artists in Southern California in those decades. O’Shea made numerous cast resin Pills, of which this 1969 example is typical. He made these sculptures—small enough to be hand-held but nonetheless with complex layers and inlays—out of bits of plastic salvaged from artist-friends’ castings.