Portrait Artist Statement
BEING A PORTRAIT ARTIST
My goal as a portrait painter is first that of an artist. I am committed to creating paintings that will stand the test of time as compelling works of art, alive with the personality of both artist and subject. They have intrinsic value as works of art.
I think of my work as a celebration and affirmation of life.
Each portrait is an adventure, exploring the unique character and personal strengths of my sitters. A love of people and a deep interest in the human experience is key to my work. It’s not about how you look, it’s about who you are. My training as a painter, actor and musician have all increased my interest in capturing this quintessential dynamic with authority, authenticity and compassion.
Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the transubstantiation of image-to-feeling inherent in a great oil-on-canvas portrait. Nothing else has the power to capture the personality and character of the subject for the ages. Being a portrait artist is about exploring the lyricism of character and dynamics of personality within the painted surface. More than a photograph made to look like a painting, my portraits are the real thing. They are brimming with life. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me it feels as though my subjects could walk right out of the painted surface.
My larger goal as an artist is to explore the full range of my medium, which is light. I have developed several bodies of work exploring a variety of structures and subjects, but the poetry of light on form keeps coming back into my work. Light is the force that reveals the subtleties of nature, particularly the human condition. My work is all about what it is to be human and expresses our journey toward the light. Another theme which runs through all my work is something I call surTHRIVal. We are all on a journey of survival, to make the best of what we are given. My larger purpose as an artist is to find and celebrate the many creative ways humans find to overcome and grow as a result of this journey.
Would you like to get inspiration in your inbox, rather than ads for more stuff? Welcome to ManiscalcoGallery.com
Maniscalco Gallery on Facebook
“Emergence” is a painting about what happens when you finally stop hovering at the edge of your own life and step all the way in. In the piece, the figure is submerged in water, with the outside world slipping softly out of focus. There’s no safe distance here—only the quiet courage of surrender. The boundaries between self and environment begin to blur, inviting you to feel rather than analyze, to inhabit the moment rather than stand outside it.
This work is for the person who is done skimming the surface—someone who has felt the cost of distraction and now longs to be fully present with what matters: their relationships, their calling, their healing, their creativity. Hung in a space where you read, reflect, or simply breathe, “Immersion” becomes a visual nudge back to your own depth: a reminder that life doesn’t happen at the shoreline. It happens when you let yourself go under.
It will be part of my exhibition, "Identity and Self" at Park Circle Gallery opening April 3, 5-7 pm, running through April. ... See MoreSee Less
A special invite and great GIVEAWAY! The seventh person to PM me their email address will win a beautiful Lmt. Ed. Giclee. AND get your discount on all things ManiscalcoGallery.com.
Exhibition Opening April 3, 5-7pm
Park Circle Gallery - Through April ... See MoreSee Less
“Weathered Wisdom” is a portrait of a man that has earned every line.
In warm earth tones and expressive brushwork, this painting captures an elderly man whose gaze carries decades of work, loss, laughter, and quiet resilience. The textures of his beard, the worn brim of his hat, and the deep-set eyes invite the viewer to imagine the life behind them.
Ideal for a #collector who value #character, heritage, and #authenticity, this piece brings a grounded, #human presence into any room—like having an old friend or a trusted elder watching over the space. ... See MoreSee Less
... See MoreSee Less
NETI wants to tell you about my new painting ... See MoreSee Less
Call Now
“The Handoff” captures the exact moment when one generation places the fragile world into the hands of the next. Suspended in a cosmic cloud of light and stardust, the small Earth glows between older, protective hands and younger, open palms.
“The Handoff” will be featured in my exhibition at Park Circle Gallery, opening Good Friday 5-7 pm. Thru April.
Two sets of #hands reach toward a small, luminous Earth, held tenderly against a swirling #cosmos. The older hands cradle the #planet with care; the younger hands open to receive it. Between them hangs a silent question: What are we really passing on?
“The Handoff” is a #meditation on stewardship across generations—the moment when responsibility for our fragile world shifts from those who have carried it to those who will shape what comes next. It’s a piece for anyone who feels both the weight and the hope of that exchange: parents, teachers, mentors, spiritual leaders, and quiet guardians of the future.
Hung in a living room, office, or gathering space, this painting becomes a daily reminder to live—and lead—with the next generation in mind.
It’s a painting about trust, responsibility, and the quiet courage it takes to let go—and to receive. It asks: What are we really giving to those who follow us? A burden? A blessing? A chance to do better? In this suspended second, everything is still possible.
"The Handoff" is for people who feel they’re standing between generations—parents, teachers, mentors, spiritual leaders, even environmental advocates—anyone who feels the weight of what we’re handing to those coming after us. It’s a visual reminder that the Earth, and the future, are something we pass on, not just something we use. ... See MoreSee Less