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.
BLOG CATEGORIES
ALL BLOGS
ForEVAN Young
They say a portrait may be your best shot at immortality. At least, we know a portrait will likely outlive us. But the oil portrait is also an opportunity to recapture our youth, while we're alive to appreciate it. At least that's the case with Evan, who finally...
Authoritarianism vs Democracy
How about a little perspective? We are not in the midst of a battle between Conservatism and Democratic Socialism. We are in a battle between authoritarianism and democracy. What makes other western democracies work so well is they have struck a healthy balance...
Evil is a Force
Why do otherwise normal people support evil ideas, like racism, without even realizing it is racism? Because evil is always girded in righteousness. The feeling of being right is so intoxicating. It triggers our ego and makes us feel invincible. It ruins marriages and...
Hired Gun
Many know me mostly for my commission portraits. Does that make me a hired gun? Before I dig into that, here's a gentle reminder that I am free to paint whatever strikes my fancy, including commission portraits! Nonetheless, I invite you to take a short journey of my...
And the winner is . . . Dylann Roof!
Roof 1-10-17 Roof Delivers His Closing Statement for Sentencing Congratulations Dylann! Here's what you've won: A fabulous front row seat in hell as your Manifesto now comes to fruition, along with the satisfaction of having projected your twisted vision into the...
Are We Dead?
Ever notice it’s always the other people who are dead inside? They are always the sheep, blithely following. Never us. The thought occurred to me that maybe we are them. It's a theme I've been exploring, mostly because of the ever growing political divides, plaguing...
Selling ART in ALT Spaces
I'm not a big fan of showing art in alternative spaces, such as restaurants or bars. The main reason is that there rarely is a staff focused/trained on/in selling art. It is usually an after thought. They are there to sell food and/or drinks. But sometimes, rarely, it...
Time Space and VJD
Young Angel tries to reach across time to reassure her older self that she is whole and complete. If visual art is a response to space and music a response to time, then theatre and film are a response to time and space. My goal with #VincentJohnDoe was to respond to...
VJD Stills Are Amazing
I am so happy for Elliot Freidman, who filmed the show on Saturday and Sunday performances. He used high def 4K technology and we are working on a beautiful film version of the production, cut together from both days of shooting. To give you a small hint of the...
VJD Production Paintings
Wrapping up our 2019 PS production of #VincentJohnDoe. Thanks to Brooke Mogy Watkins, Brad Tarr, Susie Hallatt, Cate Maniscalco, Lorilyn K Harper, Fred Hutter, Kevin Cooper Ray, Anthony Parenti, David Hallett, Mary Maniscalco James Maniscalco, Danny Maniscalco,...
Vincent Has Arrived
Vincent For those of you who kinda want to “experience” theatre or art or music, maybe just "catch the video clips," just keep ”swiping.” If you’d like to truly immerse yourself in the creation of all three, live and breathe in the experience of Vincent, I hope you...
Mary’s Bat Mitzfah Blessing
My sweet little Mary’s growing up. Today's Torah selection is all about love. Holy love. How appropriate that it’s the day of your Bat Mitzfah! A Father's Blessing It’s easy to love the lovable. Cool people, no problem. Friendly, kind people: ditto. People who love us...











Would you like to get inspiration in your inbox, rather than ads for more stuff? Welcome to ManiscalcoGallery.com
Maniscalco Gallery on Facebook
The figures in "A Walk in the Park" are the inner cast you carry everywhere—the fool who leaps, the doubter who drags his feet, the dreamer who stares past the horizon, the judge with crossed arms, the child who still believes. They bicker, whisper, revolt and reconcile, but together they make the one you call “I.” We are all onstage at once, caught in the thin light between meaning and emptiness—a reminder that your chaos is not a flaw, but the chorus through which your true voice finally emerges. ... See MoreSee Less
... See MoreSee Less
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."Identity and Self"
Opening Reception and Exhibition at
Park Circle Art Gallery
4820 Jenkins Ave.
North Charleston, SC 29405
The Exhibition runs through April 26
Gallery Hours: W-F 10:30-5:30, Sat 12-4
The collection will center on how identity interferes with our true self, our true freedom, which is a central value for an artist, as well as any self-actualized individual. For instance, when I draw my idea of a thing, rather than opening myself up to the full potential contained in the thing itself, I am limiting my creative potential.
So, who are we at our core, after we strip away the names we call ourselves, the parties with whom we affiliate, the causes for which we are fighting? After all, these are all inventions of the ego, which separate us from God and the infinite. Existence consists of light on form. Light is my medium as an artist. I am a painter of the self. I am looking always for something deeper than the surface representations in my subjects. It is the true self I am looking for when I paint, whether it is an orange, a sky or a judge. ... See MoreSee Less
“The Fantasy” oil on canvas 36" x 48", invites you into that lucid dream space where imagination feels more vivid than reality. In this oil painting, a solitary figure drifts through a dreamlike landscape of softened edges and impossible light. But the story is not fixed—you’re handed a doorway.
This piece lives in the uncertainty between escape and awakening. At first glance, it feels like a beautiful dream: rich color, fluid forms, and a sense of effortless drift. But stay with it, and you begin to notice the undercurrent—a quiet question about what we run toward, and what we’re trying to leave behind.
For the thoughtful collector, “The Fantasy” becomes a mirror for their own inner world. It speaks to anyone who has ever built a private refuge in their mind: the daydreamer, the creative, the survivor, the seeker who knows that fantasies can be both sanctuary and trap. The painting doesn’t judge that impulse; it honors it, and gently asks what new possibilities might emerge when we begin to bring those inner visions into the light of our real lives.
Hung in a living room, bedroom, or reading space, “The Fantasy” doesn’t just decorate a wall—it opens a conversation. With its layered symbolism and emotional depth, it’s the kind of work people return to, again and again, discovering new details and meanings as their own story evolves. ... See MoreSee Less
"Three Little Buds" is a framed #oilpainting looking for a new home. “Three Little Buds” captures a tender moment of becoming: three rosebuds held in that brief, luminous stage before they open. The dew on their petals hints at fresh beginnings and quiet resilience after the rain. This piece speaks to anyone who feels on the edge of a new chapter—honoring both the vulnerability and the promise of what is about to bloom.
“Three Little Buds" is about beginnings and the quiet power of what hasn’t fully unfolded yet. I painted them at that in-between moment—still closed, but clearly full of life and color, with the dew clinging to them after a fresh start.
For me, the three buds might suggest three children / three important relationships / three versions of ourselves at different times, held together in the same space of light and nurtured by potential energy. The droplets are a reminder that renewal often comes right after the storm; there’s a softness and resilience there.
It’s a painting for someone who connects with the idea of growth, protection, and the beauty of what’s just about to bloom or has bloomed in their own life. ... See MoreSee Less
Here's the entire portrait. I love judicial portraits. What do you think of this portrait? Know anyone who wants a portrait legacy created? A portrait is how people know us when we're gone. ... See MoreSee Less