How it all began Drawn to painting as a child, Olsen started on strips of cardboard using leftover supplies from his father’s house painting business in Brooklyn, New York. When severe childhood asthma resulted in a long hospitalization and absence from school, he was — perhaps providentially — placed in a special class led by an art teacher who sparked his creativity and introduced him to various styles, including pointillism and cubism. At 15, he was accepted to the prestigious Pan American Academy of Fine Arts, where he was classically trained for five years and began taking paid commissions. At 19, he submitted a painting and sculpture to a competition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and his sculpture was selected for display. Olsen moved to Florida in the late 1960s and placed an ad in the Sun-Sentinel offering mural painting services. "Tamarac was being built at the time, and I had so much business. I was painting three or four murals a week, doing portraits, and teaching at a small studio," Olsen said. Though raised in a Christian home, he admitted, "I wasn’t an avid Christian at the time and was doing a lot of outer space paintings." In 1974, an encounter with Ruth Maupin, founder of Broward County Child Evangelism Fellowship, shifted his direction. She gave Olsen a copy of The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, which sat unread for a while until he randomly opened it to a subchapter titled "The Ambassador from Galaxy H." The passage discussed Revelation 10:2-3, where the Apostle John sees a mighty angel holding an open scroll, standing with one foot on the sea and the other on land, shouting like a lion. "Every part of my being was saying, 'I've got to paint this,'" Olsen said. "The Rainbow Angel" was his first biblical painting, followed by "The Alpha and The Omega." Olsen prayed and dedicated his life and career to God. Since then, he has completed oil paintings depicting all 22 chapters of Revelation and drawn over 450 teaching illustrations of its 404 verses. He has created more than 1,000 artworks on Revelation and correlating verses from the Old and New Testaments. He is currently illustrating Genesis, having completed chapter 39 of 50. Over the years, Olsen’s biblical art has been displayed at shows and in more than 50 churches along the East Coast. He has also appeared with his artwork on CBS, CBN, TBN, and The 700 Club. Now in his 80s, Olsen remains a prolific artist with ambitions to continue his Genesis project. His wife, Samantha, has helped compile his Revelation illustrations into six volumes in anticipation of publishing the full works. He has kept the entire Revelation collection intact and is seeking a permanent home to share these sacred visions. Olsen continues to teach art classes. His art prints are available at peterolsen.pixels.com or follow him on social media @peterolsenart. n COVER STORY 43 april 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition - t - d " h - d l . f , A collection of “The Minor Prophets” and “Tribes of Israel” is displayed in Peter Olsen’s studio. Photo credit: Ariel Feldman
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