Bhaktisiddhanta Das, also known as Alfred J. Valerio, born in New York in 1939, trained as an artist in America and Europe and has travelled through India and different continents. A fine draughtsman and realistic painter, Bhaktisiddhanta Das had his first one-person exhibition as a young child at school. His earlier work experience includes service in the US navy as an artist, and as a commercial artist with Compton Advertising in New York where he had an opportunity to interact with artists such as Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. This together with his study of classical painting at the Universities in Florence and Rome, teaching experience at the Corning College in New York, and eventual focus on spiritual Indian art as an ISKCON devotee, have all impacted his art. A resourceful artist he works in a range of media -architecture, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and creative writing. Over the last few decades the artist has had many successful exhibitions in America, Europe, Central America and India. He is a regular lecturer in Vedic literature, philosophy and religions of the East and has been honoured with several awards including a special honour by Agra University. He lives in Vrindaban where at his Atelier, studio ashram he conducts classes in painting, sculpture and architecture. He is currently engaged in designing the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium being constructed in Mayapur, West Bengal involving massive sculpture and painting work.