Biography
Robert "Bob" Olszewski
(pronounced "o-Sjev-ski") was
born in 1945 in Natrona Heights,
Pennsylvania. His natural
interest in art developed early
and was first demonstrated in
painting and drawing. At age 16,
he began winning awards for his
work at local art shows, and was
encouraged to pursue a career in
art. Olszewski graduated in 1968
with a BS in Art Education from
Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, married and moved
to Southern California in the
same year to live near a major
US art center and teach. While
teaching he painted in the
summers and at night. The
security of teaching plus the
free time, allowed him to
experiment freely and develop
his skills.
His interest in miniatures
turned from playful to a serious
exploration of miniature
figurative works as a new medium
of expression. After 11 years,
Olszewski left teaching in 1978
and pursued miniature figurative
work full-time. Within a year
his work was receiving national
attention. In 1979, at age 34,
Olszewski was brought under
exclusive contract with the
major European porcelain
company, Goebel, maker of the
world famous M.I. Hummel
figurines, and was co-founder of
the Goebel Miniatures Studios.
As a master artist from 1979 to
1994, Olszewski oversaw the
development of the modeling and
painting studios, and watched
the company grow from a staff of
four painters in 1979 to 65
painters in a studio number 95
personnel. In 1995, Olszewski
was commissioned by the Walt
Disney Company to prototype
miniatures for their Enchanted
Places Program. Disneyland
commissioned Olszewski and
Olszewski Studios to design and
create a scaled replica of Main
Street, U.S.A. "Sleeping Beauty
Castle" was the first piece in
the collection and was
introduced in December of 2002.
In 1993 Olszewski was named
"International Collectible
Artist of the Year". In 1998,
Olszewski received the
Distinguished Alumni Award from
Indiana University of
Pennsylvania.
Source: olszewskistudios.com
|
