Don Oelze’s parents were from the Southwest United States but their love of God took them to different parts of the world. Oelze was born in New Zealand, and at an early age he had a fascination with America, especially with the lifestyle of cowboys and Indians. His grandparents collected Native American artifacts from their property and surrounding country in the eastern part of the United States. When he was six years old, his grandmother sent him an Indian outfit, which only fueled his desire and love for native customs and history. He started drawing Indians at a very early age, and by the time he was in school, he remembers getting into trouble for drawing Indians in class instead of paying attention to his New Zealand history teacher.

When he was eight years old, his parents moved back to the United States where he continued to draw and paint through high school. He then attended Memphis College of Art for one year, where he painted many different subjects utilizing a wide range of mediums. Oelze finished his education at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire.

In 1992, while living in Seattle, Oelze met a Native American artist named Everett, who inspired Oelze’s first big native painting. After trying many different subjects, he knew that painting Native Americans was what he loved most. In 2004, he and his wife, Utako, moved from Japan, where he had been working, back to the U.S. and are presently living in Montana, studying the country and people that he loves to paint.

A member of the Oil Painters of America, Oelze recently received Best of Show honors at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Galleries Miniatures by the Lake show.