Uthman (Osman) Özçay was born in 1963 in Caykara, in the district of Trabzon, Turkey. He completed his elementary and secondary schooling with his brother Muhammad and then joined the Islamic College of Urdumun in 1980 and then after 2 years transferred to the Divinity Faculty in the University of Marmara in Istanbul from where he graduated in 1986.

Uthman Ozcay was not initially interested in Calligraphy but was encouraged to learn by the Calligrapher Fuad Bashar while accompanying his brother Muhammad at their first meeting and began his first exercises in the Thuluth script.

After moving to Istanbul Uthman benefitted greatly from Professor Ugur Derman. The professor gave him a picture of a calligraphic panel which had been written by the great calligrapher Sami Efendi (1834-1912) for the public drinking fountain (sabil) in the New Mosque, this panel becoming Uthman's source of inspiration for his works in large thuluth script.

His close association with his brother and their discussions in the field of calligraphy were major factors in their development in the art. Like his brother, Uthman Ozcay's works have won awards in international competitions and has participated in various exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad.