Maynard Tischler was born in Syracuse New York in 1932.  He received his graduate and undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, where he studied Art Education, Painting, and Interior Design.  In the 1960s he returned to school at Alfred University, and earned his second masters degree, this time in Ceramics, where he studied with Daniel Rhodes, Val Cushing, Ted Randall, and Bob Turner.  In 1966, Tischler took a job at Denver University, where Vance Kirkland was the overseer of the program.

 Tischler is known for his low-fire glazes, as well as for his wood-fired ceramic sculptures.  His work includes ceramic pop-art sculptures, which have become his trademark, such as trucks, Buck Rogers ray guns, books on a shelf, whimsical animals, which he initially produced to please his children, but he has also created vessels and pots, as well as hooked rug tapestries.  He currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado.