Books
Coming Soon
Meeting the Muse
A fable of the emergence of artistic creativity in a life too hyper-busy, time-starved, over-stressed, career-committed & list-bound to contain it.
Illuminations: Expressions of the Personal
Spiritual Experience
2006, Ten Speed Press, Hardback, 160pp
Internationally released compilation
www.IlluminationsBook.com
Remembering to Live: Visual Poems for the Journey
2003 Evolving Editions, Hardback, 96 pp
Nationally released collection of photography & poetry
www.VisualPoems.com
Photography
Biography
Mark L Tompkins is a successful writer, photographer, teacher and businessperson. He brings firsthand experience of what it takes to pursue art as a serious venture while simultaneously prospering in a high-stress traditional business career.
Art: Mark has appeared 15 times on National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States discussing the creative processes. He has also been a guest lecturer at A&M University (Texas) and held workshops at many other venues including BookExpo; Borders Books and Barnes & Noble.
Mark’s two nationally released books received rave reviews (see links above). His photography has been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; The Center for Fine Art Photography and is in numerous other collections. Over the last ten years his work been featured in seven solo shows (including FotoFest) and six group shows (including The Center for Fine Art Photography; The Houston Center for Photography and The Vancouver Photography Arts Society).
His photography and poetry have appeared in publications worldwide including: Grain Magazine; Parabola; Photovision; Leading Edge Review; Light of Consciousness and Common Ground.
In 2008 Mark received a Certificate of Merit from Prix de la Photographie, Paris; he was also named: Barnes & Noble Artist of the Month in February 2001; Barnes & Noble Poet of the Month in June 2003 and BookStop Featured Artist of the Month in May 2001.
Business: Mark started his first company at the age of 22, a computer design venture. At the age of 25, having sold the computer company, he founded a financial consulting company. At the age of 27 he joined a national real estate development firm, and was made partner at 30.
Over the next 15 years he had sourced, financed, and closed transactions totalling in excess of half a billion dollars and became a principal in the firm, second only to the firm’s founder. Now Mark maintains an active role as Partner and Director of Investments while spending most of his time working on his artistic and philanthropic endeavours from Seattle, Washington.