Bio: Robert "Bob" William John Olszewski
Robert Olszewski was born on May 2, 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. Robert 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. He had his first one-man show at the Ryder Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles at age 27. At the same time he enjoyed his young family and made toys for his children to play with.
Along with the toys, he built a dollhouse for his daughter and this was his first introduction to the world of miniatures. His interest in miniatures turned from playful to a serious exploration of miniature figurative works as a new medium of expression. After 11 years, Robert 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, Robert 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, Robert 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 1993, a 30-year museum retrospective of his work was mounted at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, California, and in the same year Robert was named "International Collectible Artist of the Year." In 1994, Robert re-established privately owned Olszewski Studios and began exploring his art in a smaller studio to enable him to devote more time to his personal artistic growth. This new direction followed his personal artistic interests and reflected his love of exploring and combining new materials. In his early fifties, his move to an independent status left more time to pursue in depth his art and address those areas he had been waiting to explore. In 1995, Robert was commissioned by the Walt Disney Company to prototype miniatures for their Enchanted Places Program. In 1996, a second museum retrospective of his work was mounted at The Carole and Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures in Los Angeles, California. In 1998, Robert received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a third retrospective of his artwork was mounted at the University Museum. In 1999, Robert was commissioned by Indiana University of Pennsylvania to create a commemorative gift for their 125th Anniversary.
Robert continued his close association with the Walt Disney Company as he was commissioned to design and create the commemorative gift to be associated with the opening of Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life, in 1998. In 2000, Robert would introduce a new line of miniatures titled "Story-Time," which led to the invitation to create a special work for the 2001 Disneyana Convention. Steamboat Willie - Cast Members Premiere was successfully received and caught the eye of Disneyland's Product Development Merchandise Manager, Deanne Hill. Disneyland commissioned Robert 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. To the present, in December of 2005, a total of 12 buildings, 4 vehicles and 4 character packs have been released to the general marketplace. Robert and Olszewski Studios have since completed Cinderella's Castle for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida and have begun work on the Main Street, U.S.A. for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida as well.