"Soapland: Wash Me and I Will Be Clean" is an artwork that simply started initially as a painting of a fancy bar of colored soap. That physical object, in and of itself, was a work of art and I added my rendition of that soap bar to a surreal river scene. With the addition of Angelo, a main character and unconventional hero from my sci-fi novel "Star Chosen," this artwork has become a statement about second chances. I'm not talking about removing physical dirt, but spiritual dirt.

Cleansing, purification, and redemption are major themes in so many of my books, going back to the past three decades. Fighting to be redeemed is also a major part of the Star Chosen sci-fi book plotline. Not surprisingly, these are also the major themes of my own life.

Digital drawing and painting by Joe Chiappetta, 2026

For more on Star Chosen: https://joechiappetta.blogspot.com/2010/03/buy-book-now-star-chosen-science.html