Opie Otterstad

Opie Otterstad was born in 1970 in Texas City, Texas. His journey as an artist began as three-year-old drawing the transfiguration of Christ during one of his father’s sermons. Upon seeing the drawing after the service, his father said, “Looks like the transfiguration.” That was the moment Otterstad realized his gift of communicating through his art. This was to become permanently etched into his persona.

Otterstad graduated from St. Olaf College with bachelor degrees in studio art and in psychology. He continued his pursuit of understanding the mind with a masters in psychology. His interest in psychology is demonstrated in his art, as he takes the time to know his patrons as friends. Because of his interest in the lives and histories of his subjects, his commissioned works have become statements about his own life in that they each represent the relationships in his life.

While there have been many milestones in Opie Otterstad’s journey, Fran Pirozzolo seems to be the lighthouse leading Otterstad to that rocky shore where sport and art meet. Pirozzolo, one of the world’s leading sports psychologists, saw Otterstad working on some drawings one summer on Baylor’s campus. That chance meeting led to commissions from Evander Holyfield, Greg Norman and Bernhard Langer.

Otterstad's passionate work ethic for his chosen craft has resulted in more than 1100 works since 1993. While his friends and peers tease him about his vigilance, he feels that it is this consistency that allows him to grow and extend his vision in his work. His commitment to pushing his own boundaries has led to commission lists from the sports world that pile up on his studio docket.