from the Power of Positive Painting©
A Guide to Expressive Realism©
by Robert Maniscalco

The true artist has a point of view but recognizes beauty in all its forms. His world-view is unlimited.

Art and nature are full of contradictions. Look for the yin and yang: hard and soft, dark and light, red and green. Relating and juxtaposing "opposites" helps to achieve balance. They are the building blocks of structure.

God is not a mechanical being. Nature presents a certain complexity that we are challenged to express. Art is about honoring the specific randomness of form. Avoid repetitive patterns.

On the other hand, there are lines that are not drawn, but visualized, that connect forms to one another. It's amazing how many of these linear relationships there are in the seeming chaos of nature. These "imaginary" lines hold all the complexities together.

Sad as it may be, most people will never make the effort to understand art. Without some understanding of the language of art they will likely never learn to appreciate it. We must not let this stop us.

You may want to fool around with that drawing or you might just want to let it happen in the paint. It's up to you.

Start with the overall value. Get the mass shapes and then break them up into darks and lights. Find the largest shapes first. Don't be afraid to continually return to what's most important: the large masses.

What is your style, your vision? Style has everything to do with your particular choices. What will you include and what will you exclude from your visual realm? What is most essential to the painting? Paint what's most important to you. This is your style.

When painting, think of forms as solid masses abutting one another rather than as a series of lines. Use visualized lines to relate forms to one another but paint the masses.

There are perfectly balanced compositions, which are sometimes so perfect they're boring. And then there are those compositions that intentionally force the viewer into another place, another view, an uncomfortable place. It is a bit more eccentric perhaps. It says something about the subject, something about the artist. It makes us think.

Does one really have to be in the mood to do what he/she loves? Absolutely. Getting in the mood is an art in itself. One's ability to create the proper mood is what separates the novice from the professional.

Representational painting is about values. When you can master increments of value like a musician masters scales, then you can paint anything you see.

After solid painting skills, a love of people is a prerequisite for doing portraits.

It's really a matter of reconciling our left and right brains. We need to find a healthy balance.

Whether you are painting realistically or not, it is beneficial to begin to see shapes and patterns abstractly.

It's all about learning how to see and interpret nature in a way that allows us to paint expressively. It's a different way of seeing. It's more objective than subjective. It depends more upon choosing from what we actually see rather than what we think we see or should be seeing. The premise is simple: sight leads to insight.

In direct sunlight or under a modeling light, black in the light is the same value as white in the shadow.

The fact that black in the light is the same as white in the shadow might say something about race relations. I'm not sure what.

God was very good to artists, creating forms in nature, which are related so beautifully one to another. Our job is to unwrap these mysteries like a child opening a Christmas present - ripping and tearing with the urgency of a child discovering the next toy.

I can't tell you how many artists have walked through my gallery door, their eyes staring at the floor, arms full of artwork, bragging that they've never looked at anyone else's work, that their work is completely original. My point is this: artwork created in a vacuum tends to be lacking a connection to humanity. It's rarely ever original.

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If you like what you are reading, you may be interested in owning my new book, "Point of Art," where you will find many more morsels like these. Coming Soon!

Point of Art is the journey of an artist. It is a collection of ideas and meditations, intended to provide access to the creative process. Robert presents insights ranging from his practical system on drawing and painting to making it as a professional artist. He explores the relevance of self-expression in our daily lives as well as strategies for bringing arts and culture into our communities. Robert has created a generous resource, filled with valuable information for any artist or art lover.

Though his creative muse has taken many forms over the years he has discovered a common thread, which connects them all. Point of Art speaks to the basic need each of us share to communicate aesthetically. It is an inspiring conversation about the powerful life-affirming force that comes out of the desire to contribute something meaningful to humanity.

"Robert calls upon his vast experience and offers fascinating and intimate insights into his approach to the creative process. One can just pick a page and find an inspirational nugget for the day." Cynthia Daniel - A Stroke of Genius Online Portrait Gallery

"Maniscalco lives and works in the spiritual house of art. Point of Art is both aid and challenge to all of us who are attempting to find our way to better painting." John de la Vega

"Many times amusing, yet always insightful, Maniscalco's essays and musings recall brilliantly the approach taken by Robert Henri in The Art Spirit." James W. Tottis - Associate Curator of American Art, Detroit Institute of Arts

Over the past 27 years, Robert Maniscalco's exquisite commissioned portraits and fine art have become part of over 750 distinguished private and public collections throughout North America. Robert operated the Maniscalco Gallery in Detroit for eight years, showcasing many local and international artists. As host of "Art Beat," the critically acclaimed PBS series on Detroit Public Television, he explored the creative process with his celebrated guests. He has created two DVDs on painting portraits, called "The Power of Positive Painting" and published a novel, "The Fishfly." Robert currently lives in South Carolina where he continues his work and where he and his wife Amanda are raising their two wonderful children, Danny and Mary.