Marek Buchwald
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan -Central Asia /foothills of The Himalayas, Marek Buchwald grew up absorbing the richness and aesthetic of the many cultures who left their mark on this Silk Roads marketplace, the beauty of ancient Islamic architecture and tilework and the color and old world craftsmanship of Uzbeki and Himalayan tribal peoples.
His first art teacher was his father, Chaim Buchwald, an artist and Holocaust survivor who supported his family painting stage sets for Tashkent opera productions and creating Soviet political art posters. By night Chaim painted portraits and landscapes.
His family returned to their homeland in Poland when Marek was a boy of 10, and later they emigrated to Montreal, Canada when he was a young teen. Marek had formal art training at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Quebec.After meeting his spiritual teacher in 1971, Marek traveled to India and studied traditional arts with some of the last living masters of these traditions in rural South India.
Since the 70s Marek Buchwald has produced hundreds of works of devotional art, primarily oil paintings and sculptural forms. These works are in collector's homes throughout the world, in sacred temples both in India and the USA, in museum installations (Culver City, Museum of The Bhagavad Gita, is one) and in illustrated books including "The Bhagavad Gita" and the book of fine art reproductions "Krishna Art".
For the past 20 years Marek has made his home in Southern California where he has made significant contributions to the feature animation film industry as a director and designer. He has worked with major studios including Disney, DreamWorks, as well as with many smaller studios and independent productions. It is no exaggeration to say that, among his colleagues Marek is known and respected as an "artist's artist." Currently Marek has several independent film projects in development, synthesizing his expertise in animation with his artistry and devotional heart. He has also returned to his first love, producing fine art… sculpture and painting.