notable la crosse, wisc. artist and interior decorator odin julius oyen was born on may 21, 1865, in trondhjem, norway, where his father, lars oyen, a guilder and molder by trade, owned a factory there that created decorative accessories such as mirrors and picture frames for residential settings. suffering financial difficulties with his business, odin's family left norway to begin a new life in america in 1870, where they briefly stayed in chicago before moving to madison, wisc., in 1872, which at the time, contained a large norwegian population that lent support to the oyen family as they settled in. lars spent his time in madison employed as a painter and wood finisher while raising a family. during this time odin j. spent the next eight years receiving a formal education in madison, with strong encouragement from family and his school to focus on further develop his artistic talents. when not attending school, odin oyen apprenticed with the t.a. nelson decorating firm of madison at the young age of fourteen. in 1883, odin j. enrolled at the art institute of chicago where he studied under john henry vanderpoel, author of the human figure. to make ends meet while attending the art institute, oyen continued to evolve as an artist and gained valuable experience while working for the decorating firm of s. a. maxwell, where he was involved in wallpaper treatments and frescoing in residential and commercial structures in chicago. after completing his studies at the art institute, odin j. moved to la crosse, wisc. in 1888, at the suggestion of ori sorensen of sorensen and davis, contractors. during this time, louis nelson, the son of oyen's madison employer, joined him in organizing an interior decorating business. both young men had known ori sorensen when living in madison and sought to duplicate his success in the rapidly growing city of la crosse. the building boom of the late 19th century was well underway, fueled by the immense profits generated by the city's lumber yards that created many wealthy lumber barons of commerce where building large mansions invited the need for interior decoration to reflect their financial status. the great majority of the drawings discovered in the portfolio are a reflection of oyen's evolution in drawing and/or design during his last years in chicago.