Fine Art Blog
The Flow with Bob Martin
I met Bob at Spoleto last Spring. And we hit it off immediately. I love real talk and that's Bob's specialty. Small talk only gets you so far. We cover a lot of ground in this far ranging podcast. The conversation is raw and honest and I hope meaningful to the...
Adventures in Wonderland Exhibition Proposal
Grant application and EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION Adventures in Wonderland A Collaborative Exhibition Proposal of Imaginary Realism · Nick Cerrato and Robert Maniscalco We propose to develop Adventures in Wonderland, a collaborative touring exhibition of Imaginary Realism...
The Unselfconscious Mark
I talk about the unselfconscious mark a lot. It is something all artists strive for, even realists. The idea of removing ego from the creative process is a tantalizing for many. To make a mark that has no guile, no agenda, no desire to please is the goal certainly of...
Press Release Identity and Self
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 26, 2026 "Now, that's Art to Believe" rm Contact: Robert Maniscalco, artist/author robert@maniscalcogallery.com mobile: 313-689-2993 click on text for more information ↓ Robert discovers old photo he took in 2010 and created a...
Susie Jackson
Susie Jackson This portrait of Susie Jackson came about as I was recently browsing my photographic archives, looking for a something to paint for the MOJA Exhibition, coming up at City Gallery. I stumbled upon some photographs I took in February 2010. At the time, I...
Best of Show Award
I'm humbled to report "Reflections on Nothingness" has received the Best in Show Award, in the 2026 Low Country Fine Art Showcase, for the second consecutive year in a row. The juror was multi-disciplinary artist Larry Moore, whose first response to my piece was,...
What is a Beginner
People may wonder why I teach mainly to "beginner" and "intermediate" painting classes. Why not hold more advanced workshops? The answer is simple. I don't believe in the concept of "advanced." If we are good, we are always dealing with fundamental issues when we...
Birthday – My Collaboration with Nick Cerrato
How Birthday was Born It was a glorious day, filled with discovery and serious sharing. It is a story some may find disturbing. They don't matter. "Birthday" was an idea that had been in Nick's mind for years. But he didn't have the ability to paint certain elements...
Why Ask Why?
"Why Ask Why?" is perhaps more to the point than, "to be or not to be?" I wrote a blog last month about my idea of why Nick, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, decided to purchase my painting, called Cassandra. You can read my story here, if you like, but the...
Identity and Self – an Exhibition
This touring exhibition, called "Identity and Self" is available for your museum or arts venue - contact Robert for 2026-27 schedule "Identity and Self" - An Exhibition Description "Identity and Self" exhibited at the Park Circle Gallery in April 2026 and...
Maniscalco Gallery on Facebook
"Tempus Fugit" captures the instant fire and ice meet, when strange entities are released into the human psyche. Another collaboration between myself and artist Nick C. Cerrato. ...
"Light" captures the moment of decision. To enlighten or to inflame? ...
"Darkness and Light" is my latest collaboration with Nick C. Cerrato. It can be appreciated simply as an #abstract expressionist #painting and closer up as a deep narrative meditation on darkness and #light. ...
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The grand arbiter of taste, who definitely would not recognize a Van Gogh if it hit them in the face. With apologies, of course, to all those who've awarded me over the years, and to those who haven't. This is one more reason I detest authority. When I've played the role of juror, I always feel it necessary to write about each of the works, something kind and something to work on. I see the role of juror is not to judge, but uplift and encourage people who've put their heart and soul on the line. I usually pick the piece most reasonable people would agree was award worthy. And I can tell you why. I think contests should exist to support deep study and commitment to the purpose of art, which is to open our eyes to something heretofore unseen. It is the juror's job to really see the artists' work, in such a way that each artist will know they have been seen. ...
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Evil's Place, another collaboration with Nick Cerrato. I know you can't zoom in on insta so I will tell you God is pressing the devil into his place, while multiple figures reacts to the battle of good vs evil. NFS ...