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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Forward from The Power of Positive Painting
Forward from "The Power of Positive Painting" A lot has changed in the art world in the forty plus years since I embarked on my career. Academia is finally embracing contemporary realism – realism that has something important to say about our world. Meanwhile, popular...
Private Lessons Are the Way
Virtual or In-person Private Lessons Covid19 has everybody making adjustments. As an artist, I am going about my business very differently than usual. The Pandemic is an interrupter to the art business, in a lot of ways. Fortunately, as a visual artist, a lot of my...
Behr With Us
This Christmas was very special for a some wonderful Dog people, who received the surprise of a lifetime for Christmas.Behr was revealed to his "mommy" by her loving mother. Behr is twelve and loved by everyone who meets him. Austen and Ella, brother and sister, love...
Tears of Joy
This Christmas was very special for a some wonderful Dog people, who received the surprise of a lifetime for Christmas. Booker Leigh's portrait was revealed to his "mommy" by her loving Husband Josh. I was happy to receive the short clip, with her crying tears of joy,...
Form, Character and Likeness
Excerpt From "The Power of Positive Painting," the Upcoming Color Book, by Robert Maniscalco Shedding Light on Values In the beginning, there was light. Long before Thomas Kinkaid turned “painter of light” into a ridiculous slogan, the masters knew of its critical...
Portrait Demo Via Zoom
Zooming Right Along Last evening was a grand experiment. The Charleston Artist Guild presented a zoom portrait demo. It was an interesting experience for me. I have come to enjoy the interplay between the people, all gathered in a room together. I derive energy from...
Left Behind
What the American Dream Has Left Behind (a rant) Here's the VLOG version. Or you may read the BLOG version below. (edited for clarity) https://youtu.be/bS_7wHIdZyI What people would have us call the "extreme left" is really what many are now calling the extreme middle...
mARTtyrs
People are Starved for Meaning Like the Fishfly, which are born to be consumed by fish, artists are born to be consumed by humanity. I'm talking about being consumed as in nurturing the consumer. Artists provide meaning to actual people, not some idea of people out...
Loyalty vs Truth
Who is Innocent? And Who is Guilty? Here’s an update on the alleged sexual assault allegedly attempted on my daughter, Mary by our trusted and beloved neighbor. It allegedly happened while under my direct supervision, just out of sight, under water, in his pool. He...
Freedom from Consequences
Pleasure vs. Enjoyment Though we often confuse these two distinct emotional states, there is a huge difference and relationship between them. Pleasure, a source of arousal, is the product of the human desire for love, power and money, which all too often seem to be...
The N Word
This horrific photo, taken in the 1940s, reminds me of when I was nine or ten, my neighbor friend used to yell the n word at the shopping news delivery man from his porch in our suburban Detroit neighborhood. I tried to get my friend to stop his taunting but he...
We Are Wired to Believe in Miracles
Waiting for the Miracle Here's the routine. First, Donald Trump says something misleading, racist, or illegal. Then, when people actually call him out, he says he was only “joking” or he denies ever having said it. The latest is Trump’s dangerous urging of North...
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Another great session at Peggy's with Mary. ... See MoreSee Less
Red Pump Skeleton - Maniscalco Gallery
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Red Pump Skeleton 12 x 16" oil on canvas panel From a life session at Peggy's. Mary again gets into character for us lucky few. Who needs another nude, right? But a nude with a skeleton peeking throug...Is realism dead? ... See MoreSee Less
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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.That's why I love portraiture. It's more about the love we have in our life than it is about art. ... See MoreSee Less
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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.Who will paint the portrait your grandchildren will know you by? ... See MoreSee Less
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A hand-painted family portrait becomes one of the few possessions your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will treasure long after everything else has been replaced. #family #children #familyfirst #legacy #familymemories ... See MoreSee Less
A hand-painted family portrait becomes one of the few possessions your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will treasure long after everything else has been replaced. ... See MoreSee Less