My Biography Michael Buddhagunz365 Castro was born on Madison Avenue in New York City. His love for art start as a child in El Barrio born into a family blessed with many artistic members. Hardships amongst his family caused Michael to want to find escapes. His aunt would take him on trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Natural history and several Galleries but Michael was captivated not by the art in them but by what he saw on the trains. These huge metal locomotives carried beauty and inspiration. He wanted his work to ride the city not be a square on a wall. He started to draw at age 7. Family struggles brought him to Brooklyn at age 8. His parents divorce at 10. Shattered his trust in love and created in him a void. He filled this with many things but only his art would remain. By fifteen he was in school and Manhattan and taking every moment he could to immerse himself in Hip Hop cultures golden era. His tag ITO he would get up where ever he could. This and other activities got him in trouble and he was forced to leave New York for Puerto Rico. Then eventually the Navy. In the Navy he continued his work in his Black Books but concentrated on family and earning a living. For several years after that he treated his art as a secondary. He focused on his poetry where he received a modest level of recognition with then Brooklyn Poet Laureate Ken Sieglemen admiring his work helping him get published and earning a few publishing credits. He was running a printshop and a nightclub at the time. The focus on the money once again drawing him away from the art. On 9/11 his thirtieth birthday he watched with the world as the towers came down from his Brooklyn fire escape. At first he plummeted into a horrible spiral that destroyed what he had built but then after some struggle he started to rebuild after sobering up. He decided to travel to Shaker Heights in Cleveland and in the tradition of Crumb start his art again. Within a little time he was creating again but struggling in Cleveland watching his paralyzed by stroke young uncle suffer Michael took back to what he knew best business. He start a trucking career. The open road beckoned and George answered. Within three years with the guidance of a mentor he was the pinnacle of his career amongst the elite of his profession moving musical bands and entertainment to venues around the country. There was something missing though. He began a struggle with food addiction that would taking him to six hundred pounds. This let to stays in weight rehab and his eventual loss of two hundred pounds afraid to regain the weight Michael switched focus and went to work as a contractor for the Federal government transporting currency and valuables. The life on the road was punishing and the stress of the danger of his work caused him to began to regain weight. On 9/18/2012 he realized he was empty inside because he had denied the gifts G-D had given him to follow wealth, hot cars and beautiful women. He vowed on Rosh Hoshannah to make 365 pieces of art to honor his gift. He completed his project ahead of schedule in 2013. This inspiration caused him to begin the journey he is in now. Within months of posting pieces online for his friends and family to see he was called by George Colon/ AIM SSB the founder of the World Famous Soul Stoned Brothers and asked to join the Make Peace Art Project. To have his work appreciated by his childhood hero was inspiring to him. He created in a fury. Trying to out do himself with every piece and creating technical graffstract pieces that began gain him notoriety amongst his peers and the world. At this point during a conversation with George Colon George asked him if he wanted to be a member of the Soul Stoned Brothers. This too was a dream come true. He would be a member of a brotherhood of Artist that had inspired him and moved him since childhood. He had arrived and now his art heroes where his SSB family. All of a sudden the doors rushed open and phone calls began to pour in from curator and gallery owners wanting to show his work. He is currently a member of several graffiti crews, the Vice President of the 730 Art Collective, and has showed in several galleries nationwide. Buddhagunz is now a resident of Cottonwood Heights, Utah. He loves Salt Lake City and is active in trying to help other local artists find their voices and promote their art. Utah is home to some of the most amazing talent on earth. I think the art community here is Americas best kept secret. I suck at keeping secrets. I am telling everyone. We dont just have the best snow. Our artist have the Best Show.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:26:51 +0000
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