Buffalo, NY - Seneca One Realty, the owner and management of One HSBC Center in downtown Buffalo, is proud to have Mein Thein display his artwork for the month of May in our lobby.

Mein Thein (pronounced Min Thane) was born in Burma (Myanmar) and is part of the Karen ethnic group. He was forced to flee his homeland to escape Burma's brutal military government who targeted civilians, particularly Burma's indigenous ethnic groups, for extermination. After nearly 10 years of life in one of Thailand's refugee camps, Mein and his family received legal refugee status and moved to Buffalo, NY in 2007.  

Between full-time work, his family and community involvement, Mein pursues a lifelong passion for art. His love of art, combined with natural talent, developed through his favorite childhood pastime of watching artists in his hometown park paint and sketch. He fondly remembers his fascination in seeing the magic of color, light and shadow captured on a canvas. Although he was so young, he ignored his hunger and the other children at play to sit quietly all day long, studying every brushstroke until the artists packed away their easels for the evening.  

With no money for art supplies, he improvised his own from whatever was freely available. For a paintbrush, he would pound one end of a strip of bamboo until it was soft and frayed. A small piece of charcoal from a cooking fire became a pencil for sketches. Soot, wiped from the bottom of a cooking pot, and crushed charcoal, brick or chalk, mixed with a little water, made paint in shades of red, grey, or black. Scraps of discarded wood became his canvases.

These remain some of Mein's favorite memories of childhood. However, he has known great hardship in his 38 years. At age 5, Mein was left in the care of his grandmother. After Mein finished 4^th grade, his grandmother could no longer afford to pay for his education. Sadly, when he was just 12 years old, his grandmother passed away. Mein was left to fend for himself for the next six years on the city streets of Rangoon, Burma.  

What remained of his youth disappeared as the struggle to survive took every moment. Too young to be employed, he occasionally found a family or a Buddhist monastery where he could work chopping firewood or hauling water in exchange for food. Mein remembers no joys or comforts from this time in his life. Hunger, desperation and fear were the only things that remained constant.
 
Many years have passed since Mein's attempts to emulate the artists painting in the town park. Life has taken him down many unexpected pathways - including his new life in America. Although he and his family face many challenges here, they also embrace many exciting opportunities. Through every hardship, Mein never let go of his dream of becoming an artist. He is both honored and proud to share his gifted interpretation of love, life, and beauty that has sustained and motivated him to succeed through difficult times.

About Seneca One Realty LLC

Seneca One Realty LLC is the owner and manager of One HSBC Center, a commercial office tower located in downtown Buffalo, just steps away from the developing waterfront.  Built as an example of modernist style architecture, the prestigious 40-story tall structure dominates the downtown skyline. Striking office space provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the city, Niagara Falls, Southern Ontario, and Lake Erie. One HSBC Center's elite tenant roster includes the Canadian Consulate General, George F. Phillips, Jr., HSBC Bank, USA, N.A., Harold C. Brown & Co. LLC, Phillips Lytle LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, The John R. Oishei Foundation, The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc., and UBS Financial Services. For more information on One HSBC Center, go to www.onehsbc.com.