A taste of what can be accomplished with a few paintbrushes and a canvas, as well as listening to a bit of music for inspiration.
All works are copyright© 2004-2006 by Mark Poppe and PoppeArt©.

Surreal Artist Mark Poppe's Personal Biography


Hello Everyone,

My name is Poppe (Poppy) and I'm an artist. In 1971 two things changed my life and led me down this path; the rock band "Yes" and a book by J.R.R. Tolkien called "The Hobbit" (thank you Slick). Music is a major influence in my life and always will be. I'm sure it is with a lot of folks.

Other influences have been family, friends, and my mom and dad for letting us be who we are. We love you both way too much. Thanks also to my kids: Shonda, Emily, Joe, and Kaitlyn. I have a tendancy to drift off now and then. For the most part they help me keep one foot on the ground. Life would not be the same without them. Let's not forget the life force that surrounds us every moment of our lives. It is so unbelievable we almost can't put it into words, and yet sometimes we seem to forget, don't we? We are all truly blessed to be given this time here and now. Use it wisely.

I grew up in the 50´s in St. Mary´s, Ohio with my two sisters and three brothers. I had what I consider a pretty cool childhood; riding bikes, going swimming, hanging out at Forty Acre Pond, and playing baseball. A typical Mayberry childhood, until the Aliens came along. (Oops, that´s a whole other story - we won´t go there right now!) Nonetheless, it was a great time.

We moved a lot through the years and eventually ended up twenty miles from where I was born. The 60´s came along and my brother David and I were drawn to the world of the Hippies. It seemed like a good idea to me. This is where it was happening. Flower power, drugs, strobe lights, and Rock and Roll was all around us. David was a well known artist around the area and I picked up my love for art from him and my mom. She had been an artist throughout her whole life, so it was always there subconsciously in mine. In 1971 I was inspired by a book and a song. I picked up a paintbrush and some paints and started to put my thoughts onto canvas. To me it´s like a writer putting words into a book or a musician writing a song. It´s a feeling of accomplishing something...I like that. Around that same time Vietnam was really going strong. Uncle Sam came knocking at the door and I told him he wasn´t my Uncle, which leads to another crazy story but I am not going there either.

The years went by and my kids were coming into the world. For a while, I just kept on painting. I eventually became completely burnt out, so to speak, or maybe even insane. I don´t know, but I´ve always had a hard time figuring out what was reality and what wasn't. I think we all have our moments, don´t we? Anyway, I wanted to gather rocks and trees and make gardens, so that´s what I did. It wasn´t until later that I realized my gardens became my canvas. It was just another medium. Only they were made from dirt, rocks, and flowers and became my 3-D paintings. How awesome is that?

Our Mother passed away on April 29th, 2002 and it shook our world. This is when I had what I call an "Awakening". It took another 2 years before everything became clear. I decided that I´m not going through the rest of my life, however long that may be, without knowing if I can make my way as an artist. Too many people in the end wish they had done this or that, but not me. I want to be able to look back and know that at least I tried, which will be good enough.

The last thought before I leave off is the subject of fear. There seems to be a lot of it these days; you can see it in people´s eyes. We´re not born with it. It´s a learned behavior, that I´m sure of, and it restricts us from being our true selves and from really enjoying life to its fullest. We need nature, our family and friends, playtime, laughter, and all the simple things. What we don´t need is war, greed, or Disney World to make our lives whole. Read between the lines and life becomes very clear. I believe we are truly blessed to be here in this time. If we listen to our hearts we will choose the right paths. Life is very good.

So...I hope you enjoy my art and feel free to use the forum for whatever thoughts pop into your head. Again, welcome to my world and our farm, "The Song of Seven".

M. Poppe
Artist, Gardener,
Scalawag, and Rascal

A special thanks to my nephew Brian Gesler and his mom Christine White, and my faithful sidekick Greg Lockwood for being adamant about helping me in this new chapter of my life.