AN ARTIST WRITES
By
Mark A. Chapman

"With this book I'd like to share my feelings and observations about life in an abstract way:  Poetry.
    I am a rank amateur, having neither studied poetry nor read much on my own.  What poetry I have read was difficult to understand, so I strive to make mine accessible.  It is my desire that the content makes you think, entertains you, and taps into our common experiences.
    I strived to insert my true emotions on a subject and be as honest as I could, although we both know that honesty is a relative thing.


    I am responsible for all the paintings in this book.  The first few years I concentrated on realistic painting but then morphed into non-representational efforts.  These, although they might look easy, strangely enough are harder to paint because there is no definite object to work from.  They are created by the imagination; expressed by shape, form, balance, and color.
    Like poetry, acceptance is limited because the viewer (reader) must be moved by a medium that is unfamiliar.  By tackling these two expressive forms you could call me either a masochist or a man who likes a challenge - take your pick." 
                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                 Mark A. Chapman