Born in Malin, Kiev Gubernia, Ukraine.

Graduated art school in Kiev and then the Académie Julian in Paris. Ostrowsky traveled widely in France and exhibited his paintings in Paris (Salon des Independants, Galerie de la Renaissance).

Ostrowsky settled in America and had his paintings exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago. In Chicago he also painted the settings for Osip Dymov’s play “Jerusalem” produced by Joseph Shoengold at Glickman’s Palace Theatre. On 22 January 1922, at the above theatre, he constructed the stage scenery for Sholem Asch’s “The Dead Man”, directed by Abraham Teitelbaum and performed by the Dramatic Society of Chicago.

A theatre person wrote about it:

"The second [person] who brought about the play's [immense] success was the famous young painter Samuel Ostrowsky with his excellent settings, which were not realistic but impressionistic.  Every form, every feature represents a certain mood, a fantastic flash, and these create the mood of the play…”

On 27 January 1924, Ostrowsky made the stage scenery for An-Sky's “Day and Night”, directed by Itzhak Anes and performed by the Chicago Dramatic Society at the Norwegian Club in Chicago [Chicago Norske Klub].