OLIVE OWENS WALDORF-ARTIST-PAINTING OF JESUS CHRIST

Olive Owens Waldorf Portrait Artist

Olive Owens Waldorf 1927-2003 Olive Owens Waldorf was born and raised in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Olive Owens Waldorf spent about 20 years in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia area where she studied commercial art at Norfolk Vocational and Technical College while raising six children and helping her husband, L. Douglas Waldorf operate Skicoak Living Museum of the American Indian. Olive would often sketch her children while at play, so keen was her desire to draw and to paint portraits. (Olive's children would often tease her about always grabbing a piece of paper, even an envelope if that was all that was available, to sketch them on.) While Olive Owens Waldorf was living in Charleston, South Carolina in 1980, Olive met and began private study with Michael Del Priore, a well known southern regional portrait artist. While living in Gordon County, Georgia, Olive Owens Waldorf began to accept commissions to paint portraits from friends and select clientele spreading over the entire southeast. Olive Owens Waldorf first painted portraits in pastels. Then, Olive moved into the medium of Oils for her portrait painting. While engaged in commission pastel portrait painting for her clientele, her husband, L. Douglas Waldorf, had been going through a search for a portrait of Jesus Christ to use in his Fireside Lectures, and with copyright laws and other stumbling blocks, and not satisfied with the available protraits of Jesus Christ, Doug asked Olive to paint a portrait of Jesus Christ for him to use in his Fireside Lectures. Olive accepted the challenge. One day Olive called Doug into her art studio to look at her portrait of Jesus Christ. Doug was thrilled and approved her work. Olive looked at the portrait of Jesus Christ and said "No, his eyes aren't quite right. Go away." So Doug left and Olive continued working. A few days later, Olive called Doug into her studio again. Again, Doug was thrilled with her work. Olive said "No, I don't like the mouth. It's not right. Go away." So, once again Doug left Olive's studio and Olive to her work. Finally, Olive was satisfied with her Portrait of Jesus Christ and called Doug into her studio to view the finished portrait. Olive's care for detail and her love of her Savior were evident in the portrait before him as Doug looked upon the finished pastel portrait.

Doug has used Olive's pastel portrait of the Savior, Jesus Christ in his Fireside Lectures ever since that day. This same Portrait of the Savior is featured on his DVD's of his Fireside Lecture Series. Copies of this same Portrait of Jesus Christ by Olive Owens Waldorf are now available, after many request from guests of the Fireside Lectures, from Mark 4:22 Productions in several sizes and finishes including: 11 X 14 Matt Finish 16 x 20 Matt Finish 11 X 14 on Canvas 16 X 20 on Canvas (to be mounted on stretcher before framing) 16 x 20 on Canvas and mounted on stretcher ready for framing As Olive Owens Waldorf honed her skills in Portrait painting, she began with pastels and used photos of her family to begin with before accepting commission work. Olive's first pastel portrait painting was of her youngest daughter, Mary Kathryn Waldorf from a photo taken in 1986. Olive also painted a pastel portrait of her youngest son, Peter Douglas Waldorf, Sr.(Pete) and her father-in-law, Leslie D. Waldorf, Sr. from a photograph of Leslie D. Waldorf as a young man while he was working on the showboat, The James Adams Floating Theater.

Pastel Portrait of Mary Kathryn Waldorf by Olive Owens Waldorf. (Used by permission)

Pastel Portrait of Peter Douglas Waldorf, Sr (Pete) by Olive Owens Waldorf. (Used by permission)

Pastel painting by Olive Owens Waldorf of her father-in-law, Leslie D. Waldorf, Sr. (L. D. Waldorf) from a photograph of Leslie D. Waldorf as a young man while he was working on the showboat, The James Adams Floating Theater from 1915 to 1917. (Original held in the Waldorf Family Gallery.) As Olive Owens Waldorf's skills increased, she began to receive commissions from friends who consented to Olive using photos of her pastel paintings in her brochure and sample book. Olive's grandchildren grew up looking at her sample painting book prepared to show to her clientele of there completed work and at her brochure. Among those friends were the Barlows who commissioned Olive to paint portraits of their sons, Jonathan and Brandt.

Pastel Painting of Jonathan Barlow by Olive Owens Waldorf. (Used by permission)

Pastel Painting of Brandt Barlow by Olive Owens Waldorf. (Used by permission) In 2005, Olive Owens Waldorf's granddaughter, Lisa Waldorf (oldest daughter of Peter Douglas Waldorf, Sr. - "Pete") met a young man and fell in love with him. When this young man took Lisa to meet his parents, the first things Lisa saw upon entering their home, were the pastel paintings of two brothers she had seen over and over again in her grandmother's sample book. Lisa exclaimed "My grandmother painted those!" Sure enough, Lisa had fallen in love with Brandt Barlow (above) and they were married in May of 2006. Small world, isn't it. Olive Owens Waldorf moved on the the medium of oils and began painting her portraits in oils, including her self portrait.

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