Eric Buechel (1958 - )

Internationally known artist Eric Buechel, a self described humanist, environmentalist and historian, was born in Passaic, New Jersey, July 2,1958. Buechel acquired his love of art from his father Ernest Buechel who himself was a talented artist born in Koblez, Germany.

After spending much of his youth studying the works of the masters and working diligently on his craft, Buechel won a scholarship in 1977 from the New Jersey Art Directors Club and went on to attend DuCret School of Art in Plainfield, NJ. During his time there, Buechel took countless trips to some of the world’s most renowned museums in New York City. Perhaps the most important thing to happen in young Buechel’s life at DuCret was meeting Dr. Furman J. Finck, an official presidential portrait painter. Under Finck's tutelage and studying Finck's work at his Manhattan studio, Buechel learned a technique using wolf carbon pencil and to draw incredibly detailed portraits rivaling the detail of the photographic realism of artist Chuck Close.

The master artist that most influenced Buechel's early work was that of Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer. That influence, with its emphasis on strong line and compact arrangements, continued to inspire Buechel’s work for many years to come. Following his studies, Buechel worked in New Jersey and Manhattan as an illustrator and art director. He later opened his own advertising agency, specializing in medical and aerospace illustrations.

Setting aside his brushes for awhile, Buechel formed a computer recycling business in 1990 at a warehouse in Belleville, New Jersey. While discovering ways to reclaim components and raw materials from discarded electronics, Buechel pioneered a recycling process of cathode ray tubes. In 1994, then New Jersey Senator Lautenberg (D) nominated Buechel for the N.J. Science and Technology Award for developing these recycling processes. In 2001 Eric Buechel's company, Advanced Recovery Inc., was chosen to help reclaim and salvage computers after the Trade Center attack. The clean up would take more than a year and was completed on time and under budget.

In 2003, Advanced Recovery Inc. was sold and Buechel moved to Crossville, Tennessee where he opened a gallery, The Artist’s Corner, supporting local artists and began painting again after a 12-year hiatus. Today Buechel's work can be found in private collections throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.

Of art Buechel says, “It is critical that an artist becomes intimately familiar with a minimal of the works of 100 great masters. Without this knowledge one cannot be taken seriously. To soak up this knowledge is to gain an important tool in discovering proper composition, form, light and emotion. Understanding and creating today’s art is not unlike the difficulties Giotto, Durer, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Inness and Picasso faced years ago.

“Moving through difficult times in your life,” Buechel continues, “should never lead to putting down your brushes and wait for the mood to strike. Some of my best work happens during these low points. It is imperative that I experiment with different techniques and styles. When I enter my studio I feel like a child entering a candy store. There are so many colors and textures in which to work. It excites me.”

Buechel’s favorite old master artists include: Rembrandt, Giotto, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Fans Hals, Leonardo da Vinci, Jacob van Ruisdel, Albrecht Durer, Peter Paul Rubens, Johannes Vermeer, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Caravaggio and Giovanni Bellini.

Among Buechel’s favorite modern artists are: George Inness, Pablo Picasso, Robert Wood, John Constable, Vincent Van Gogh, William Turner, Jacques L. David, Fredrick Church, Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Monet, Marc Chagall, Alfred Sisley and Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres.

My favorite landscape painting is John Constable’s The Haywain.

The greatest portrait painting is Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride.

My favorite seascape painting is Jacob van Ruisdel's The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede.

My favorite American landscape painting is George Inness's Early Autumn, Montclair

My favorite religious picture is Carravaggio’s “The Conversion of Saint Paul”.

The greatest family portrait ever painted is Velazquez's "Les Menines".

The most wonderful surrealist painting is Peter Brugel's "Dulle Griet", , more commonly called Mad Meg.

The greatest mythological painting of all time is Peter Paul Ruben’s superbly painted “ Venus Frigida”.