Robert blogs on art, creativity, politics, CSA, religion and culture. Many overlap into multiple categories, like motivational or random favorites. Robert is a life-long artist, writer, musician & actor, a professional creative his entire adult life. Born in 1959 in Detroit, he has lived in New York, New Orleans and currently in Charleston. His commission portraits and fine art are part of over a thousand collections throughout North America. Read his bio.
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The Choice
Let them eat cake. Why should Richard Branson send himself into orbit? Is it to send a message to those deadbeat dads that throwing their children's lives away is a tragic waste of their child-making abilities. It's not rocket science. Or maybe it is, a little. I...
Dr. John Vena
The Big Reveal It's always a pleasure when my work is appreciated. Today was the dedication of my portrait of Dr. John Vena, retiring chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at MUSC. He served six years and transformed the department into the sixth rated PHS...
Wedding Portraits
As you know, I create portraits for every occasion. Wedding are a beautiful time in our lives and there is no better way to remember that awesome experience than with an oil portrait. Find out about my wedding portraits and the many ways we can devise to express the...
Self Esteem, Entitlement and White Privilege
The Trap of Self-esteem The self-esteem craze began with the Power of Positive Thinking, years ago. I certainly have written my fair share on the subject. This approach to life has also become known as the Law of Attraction. Basically, the premise is, "if you can...
Not Giving a F#ck
Reading "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson, reinforced a few core principals for me The book read like a fully fleshed-out version of the RM Theory, a survival philosophy I devised in High School. As George Orwell said in 1984, "a good book tells you...
Seeing What We Want to See
Inattentional Blindness - Falling for the Trick We've all seen them on the internet. I'm talking about those amazing chalk drawings on sidewalks that look 3-D. Or those optical illusions that make things appear differently than they really are. These are examples of...
Drawing vs Copying
Looking Deeper I sometimes comment in FB groups, offering my humble critique, when asked. Here’s what I offered for this drawing on the left. Honestly, there is a huge difference between drawing and copying a photo. So much of what I see in this group is copying....
The Power of Positive Painting Story
People thought I was crazy trying to create a system that would make drawing and painting available to anyone who applied themselves, what I call the "democritization" of art. That was the goal, to distil the processes of master realists and combine them with the...
Carolina Arts review of The Power of Positive Painting
Underbelly of Abuse
Chanel Miller, The Survivor My father didn’t want to ruin the reputation of the doctor at children’s hospital in Detroit who sexually assaulted me. Can you imagine the betrayal this young lady, Chanel Miller, Brock Tutner's victim, felt at the hands of our justice...
LSD Research
The following is a letter to his son from a loving father, in hopes it might help others who are struggling with drugs.The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Dear Richard, I’ve done some research to see if any of your assertions about the positive...
My Pillow
No, not that one! When I was a child I dreamt I ate a marshmallow and awoke to find my pillow missing. Gone! I vowed to never trust another pillow so completely as I did then, when I was but a foolish ten. I grew up so unruly, knowing I should never really rest my...
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Thanks to Jeanette of Art & Faith Galleria for finding my portrait of Mother Teresa a good home. If you are in Royal Oak, MI, make it a point to stop in and see the amazing artwork, as well as Jeanette's unique and magnificent collection of icons and rosaries. The work at A&FG is not always overtly religious, but it is always awe-inspiring, reminding us that God is everywhere and in all things. I think this is a time where we are seeking a deeper meaning.
My portrait of Mother Teresa joins my Pope Leo portrait as my most recent art sales. I think God is trying to tell us something. What do you think?
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Check out my pet portrait July special: Get an oil portrait of your pet through the month of July for a special price!
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Barack and I were so honored to have @NjidekaAkunyiliCrosby create our portrait for the Obama Presidential Center. Her artistic brilliance shines through — and the way she infused such life and joy into the piece is truly extraordinary. We love it, and we think everyone who visits the Center will too!
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