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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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...
Time for a Wealth Tax
The game is rigged alright. We’ve all been pitted against each other while the man gets away with the loot. When, oh when will we wake up to the biggest scam in history? It is time we had a wealth tax. We need a way to reverse the incredible income inequality that has...
The P3 Movement
Guilty, as charged! But fortunately #forgiveness awaits, with the #purchase of @ThePowerofPositivePainting. #Learn to #draw and #paint. As a frequent art competition juror in the 1990s and 2000s, I noticed roughly over 80% of the representational entrants at local art...
Antifa vs the Frogs
I am forever wondering if I'm truly far left or if I'm just an empathetic person living in a late capitalist hell-scape, where I get called a commie for saying "hey maybe poor people don't deserve to starve." For the record, Antifa just means anti fascist. There is...
Hue-based Society
We live in a hue-based society. Most artists have an unhealthy addiction to hue. Our obsession with color, specifically the hue of a color, undermines our ability to see form objectively. The Power of Positive Painting, my 157 page full color book, is an an effort to...
What People are Saying About The P3
I didn't set out to write four books. I simply had something important to say and I found a way to say it. Here's what People are Saying about my teaching and the book I could not be happier that my latest book, The Power of Positive Painting has received such glowing...
Maniscalco Gallery on Facebook
The grand arbiter of taste, who definitely would not recognize a Van Gogh if it hit them in the face. Apologies to all those who've awarded me over the years, and to those who didn't. One 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 is award worthy. I think contests should be there to support deep study and commitment to the purpose of art, which is to open our eyes to something heretofore unseen. It is the jurors job to see the artists' work, so the artists know they have been seen. ...
This content isn't available right now
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 ...
Brando as Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, from an iconic photo, just for fun. ...
What is talent? ...
Do check out this podcast. There may be just what you need to hear right now. ...
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This content isn't available right now
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.