Fine Art Blog
Kurtis T. Wilder Investiture at Washtenaw County Courthouse
Grateful for the positive response my second portrait of Judge Kurt Wilder received at the portrait's investiture at the Washtenaw County Courthouse in Ann Arbor, MI last week. I made a quick trip to Detroit to be present for this monumental event. My unveiling speech...
Carol and Paul Schaap Unveiling
Today was truly a great day. I’ve been looking forward to sharing this portrait with the world for quite sometime. My portrait of Carol and Paul Schaap was unveiled at Wayne State in the Paul and Carol Schaap Chemistry Building, where it will hang into perpetuity. It...
Praise for Chromo Sapient by Barbara Pitcher
Forward by Barbara Pitcher Dear reader, this is a gift. I want you to take this little poem book somewhere you can be alone at a time when you need not a lover, but a dear friend, when a deep love or friendship is necessary. I had such an experience. That is why I...
Kurt Wilder Investiture
It is always exciting to present a portrait. Last week was the investiture of Hon. Kurtis Wilder's portrait at the Michigan Supreme Court. The ceremony took place in front of the entire court, all members present. There were speeches by many supporters, including...
My Teaching Method
When I teach privately I like to use the paint along process, where the student paints along as I demonstrate. This is how I learned, sitting next to my father and painting what he painted. I call it full immersion study. It usually works out as a win-win. The student...
My Furry Friends Demo
Recently, I had the pleasure of creating an oil portrait of my dog, Bailey, as the subject of my "Furry Friends" demo, begun at Art on the Square Gallery, where you can also see some of my latest work. I finished the painting in my studio. Here's my Youtube video of...
How to Appreciate Art
Steve Anthony Cefalo created some great tips for appreciating artwork, with which I agree whole heartedly. This is not anti-intellectual dribble (heaven forbid). It’s a way to expand your intuition and use your lifetime of experience to enter a work of art. The...
Picture Lights
A Circus Barker: See the video on FB. Heres's the transcript: Folks, ya simply won’t believe how you've managed to live without picture lights. The light reflected by an original oil painting into a room is at least 375 times richer and warmer than any fancy lamp...
A Vortex of Hoplessness
This is a very difficult subject and I'm probably out of my league discussing, because I'm a member of white middle class by birth. But maybe, that is what makes me the most qualified. I have lived the entitlements heaped upon my demographic. Yes, I have struggled,...
My Shatner Experience
For those of you who are aware of the depths of my admiration for a man whom my son and I may or may not have met last Saturday . . . I have a recurring dream where Shatner is a main character and we are just hanging out like brothers. His Captain Kirk has not only...
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The #Ghost of #Denmark Vessey, 24×20″ oil on linen, framed by the artist
#Vessey appears as an indomitable spirit, standing with dignity, bible in hand, as if he has risen above the hatred of the racists, who’s anger and fear, represented by a posse of angry white men, who have driven his body into the ocean. But they cannot touch his spirit, which endures forever. Denmark Vessey led the first slave revolt in SC and in America. This will be part of my upcoming exhibition at Park Circle Gallery in North Charleston Opening April 3 5-7 pm running through April.
More info:
www.facebook.com/share/18MGV5rPpw/?mibextid=wwXIfr ... See MoreSee Less
Remembering 20x 20″ oil on gallery wrapped canvas – currently on exhibit at @artattheedge Rivers Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI. See it in person!
An #oldbutgold #farmer / #hunter pauses to remember the days when everything made sense, if there ever was such a time. We get lost in the memories, which have depended and become something somehow better than how we remembered them. Something not typical for me, I am painting overcast conditions, not a direct, dramatic source of light. Ambient lighting is an opportunity to focus on local color, which I enjoyed very much. Perfect for the #collector's reading room or man cave or for those who revere old age and the worn crusty face of country wisdom. ... See MoreSee Less
“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
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