Olin's parents moved from Garrett County to Potomac Park when he was in the 5th grade; his early memories include the duties thrust upon him as a farm child. His father becoming employed by the Celanese Corporation changed his life.
The son of an Amish father-turned Mennonite, Olin learned to appreciate things we take for granted: electricity, cars and everyday dress among them. He became interested in the visual arts at an early age; he can recall sitting on his father's lap and watching him drawing on the back of an oil cloth on the kitchen table. Olin wanted to copy him, and that's how it all started. He realized his artistic talents were the keys to avoiding a daily routine behind a plow, and the self-deprecating Shepherd College graduate has remained farm-free to this day. Big for the time at six feet four and two hundred thirty pounds, he hitch-hiked from Cumberland to Shepherd to meet with the football coach, then astounded him with his intention to become an arts major. ("I think he thought I'd want to play in ballet slippers") As a freshman, an art professor took the class to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the trip became a turning point in his future.
Growing up with financial difficulty everywhere, as it was for many during and after World War II, he lived on five dollars every two weeks from home, with the threat of returning to that home and a job at the railroad if he got into any trouble at school - he didn't.
After college graduation in 1951 he began teaching in Garrett County, for a yearly salary of $2,400, and wondered if he could ever spend all of it. He then went east to Anne Arundel County where he spent most of his teaching career, though he also taught at City College High School in Baltimore - the third oldest high school in the country.
He received his Masters in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore in 1958, and taught in Maryland public high schools for over 40 years before spending another 15 at Catonsville Community College. In 1988 he was named Outstanding Secondary Art Teacher by the Maryland Art Education Association, and in 1990 he became the Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year, and a state finalist. He was among the first six individuals awarded an "Annie" in Anne Arundel County; it's a yearly award of merit for residents who contribute to all the arts in the area, and he received an honor from Channel 11 for his teaching acomplishments.
While in Baltimore Olin served on the 1% Commission for the Arts. Every public building in Baltimore must put aside 1% of the cost of that building for art that would become a permanent part of the structure. Artists were selected from across the country to create these pieces of work. He also served four years on the Anne Arundel Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Much of his talent came from his father, Claude, whose woodcarvings brought a lot of favorable publicity. In 1972 Claude participated in the Smithsonian Institute Folk Festival of America on the Washington D.C. Mall. The Smithsonian requested, and was given, a dog he fashioned from a wooden plank from a C & O Canal barge.
In 1998, seven years after Claude's death, the Gallery of Catonsville Community College held an exhibit called "Amish Father/City Son" and displayed works from both Yoders.
Baltimore Sun columnist Don Rodricks wrote that Olin's work is diametrically opposed to that of his father; it's excellent - as sophisticated and technically sound as Claude's is folksy, crude and intentionally surreal.
After years of experimenting with a variety of mediums he now paints only in oils, and his quest for his passion has led him and his wife, Betty - also a Shepherd grad - to 45 countries. She'll quietly walk out of the display rooms and allow Olin to stare for hours on end.
Their oldest daughter, Cindy, follows her dad's path. Receiving her Shepherd diploma in 1982, she has her bachelor of arts degree.
Today, Olin remains busy. He works in his studio in Linthicum Heights near Baltimore, travels the world with Betty, or visits his alma mater. He served as president of the Emeritus Club in 2002, and has performed duties as master of ceremonies on numerous occasions. He's a gifted speaker as well, presenting his cartoons on an overhead projector when he speaks.
He makes no prints of his work; those who purchase a painting know they have the original. Samples of his talent may be found on the internet by clicking on to: http://www.oilsbyolin.com/; his internet site is: olin@aceweb.com. or they may be viewed, and bought, at Helen's Garden Restaurant near Baltimore. There are always 40 paintings on sale and display there, and he is placing paintings and prints in the new Kayak Sports Complex in Garrett County. Allegany Magazine features his cartoons under "Yoder's World."
His younger brother, Gary, is a noted woodcarver as was their father. He's been featured in numerous articles displaying his skill and accomplishments.
The son of an Amish father-turned Mennonite, Olin learned to appreciate things we take for granted: electricity, cars and everyday dress among them. He became interested in the visual arts at an early age; he can recall sitting on his father's lap and watching him drawing on the back of an oil cloth on the kitchen table. Olin wanted to copy him, and that's how it all started. He realized his artistic talents were the keys to avoiding a daily routine behind a plow, and the self-deprecating Shepherd College graduate has remained farm-free to this day. Big for the time at six feet four and two hundred thirty pounds, he hitch-hiked from Cumberland to Shepherd to meet with the football coach, then astounded him with his intention to become an arts major. ("I think he thought I'd want to play in ballet slippers") As a freshman, an art professor took the class to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the trip became a turning point in his future.
Growing up with financial difficulty everywhere, as it was for many during and after World War II, he lived on five dollars every two weeks from home, with the threat of returning to that home and a job at the railroad if he got into any trouble at school - he didn't.
After college graduation in 1951 he began teaching in Garrett County, for a yearly salary of $2,400, and wondered if he could ever spend all of it. He then went east to Anne Arundel County where he spent most of his teaching career, though he also taught at City College High School in Baltimore - the third oldest high school in the country.
He received his Masters in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore in 1958, and taught in Maryland public high schools for over 40 years before spending another 15 at Catonsville Community College. In 1988 he was named Outstanding Secondary Art Teacher by the Maryland Art Education Association, and in 1990 he became the Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year, and a state finalist. He was among the first six individuals awarded an "Annie" in Anne Arundel County; it's a yearly award of merit for residents who contribute to all the arts in the area, and he received an honor from Channel 11 for his teaching acomplishments.
While in Baltimore Olin served on the 1% Commission for the Arts. Every public building in Baltimore must put aside 1% of the cost of that building for art that would become a permanent part of the structure. Artists were selected from across the country to create these pieces of work. He also served four years on the Anne Arundel Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Much of his talent came from his father, Claude, whose woodcarvings brought a lot of favorable publicity. In 1972 Claude participated in the Smithsonian Institute Folk Festival of America on the Washington D.C. Mall. The Smithsonian requested, and was given, a dog he fashioned from a wooden plank from a C & O Canal barge.
In 1998, seven years after Claude's death, the Gallery of Catonsville Community College held an exhibit called "Amish Father/City Son" and displayed works from both Yoders.
Baltimore Sun columnist Don Rodricks wrote that Olin's work is diametrically opposed to that of his father; it's excellent - as sophisticated and technically sound as Claude's is folksy, crude and intentionally surreal.
After years of experimenting with a variety of mediums he now paints only in oils, and his quest for his passion has led him and his wife, Betty - also a Shepherd grad - to 45 countries. She'll quietly walk out of the display rooms and allow Olin to stare for hours on end.
Their oldest daughter, Cindy, follows her dad's path. Receiving her Shepherd diploma in 1982, she has her bachelor of arts degree.
Today, Olin remains busy. He works in his studio in Linthicum Heights near Baltimore, travels the world with Betty, or visits his alma mater. He served as president of the Emeritus Club in 2002, and has performed duties as master of ceremonies on numerous occasions. He's a gifted speaker as well, presenting his cartoons on an overhead projector when he speaks.
He makes no prints of his work; those who purchase a painting know they have the original. Samples of his talent may be found on the internet by clicking on to: http://www.oilsbyolin.com/; his internet site is: olin@aceweb.com. or they may be viewed, and bought, at Helen's Garden Restaurant near Baltimore. There are always 40 paintings on sale and display there, and he is placing paintings and prints in the new Kayak Sports Complex in Garrett County. Allegany Magazine features his cartoons under "Yoder's World."
His younger brother, Gary, is a noted woodcarver as was their father. He's been featured in numerous articles displaying his skill and accomplishments.
Olin's personalized cartoon is shown with his profile.
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