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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Reactive vs Proactive Artists
I've been thinking about what kind of artist I want to be. After 45 years in the business, I think its time. Do I choose to respond to what other artists are doing successfully and turn myself inside out trying to beat them at their own game? Or dare I trod my own...
The Second Coming of Trump
We Know Trump is a Criminal A large number of American now see Trump as the answer we've all been waiting for. For many people, Trump's second term is like the second coming of Christ. They think all these trials are just a partisan witch hunt. But we really don't...
Job and Abel
Another reason I speak out against a second Trump presidency is because it will mark the end of the Parole program, allowing Americans to sponsor citizens of struggling countries, like Haiti and bring them here, legally. I am sponsoring two beautiful young men, Abel...
Stop Trump at the Ballot Box
This Battle can only be Won by Voting The unfortunate and inexcusable assassination attempt notwithstanding, Trump is still Trump. We must stop him decisively at the ballot box. Until then, we must fight the good fight, the fight of ideas, with everything we have. We...
Mayor Joe Riley
Mayor Joe Riley Vernissage at the Citadel on July 16th, 2024 Today was a good day. I am so proud and excited that I finally was able to share my portrait of Mayor Joe Riley, commissioned by the Citadel Foundation for the Hall of Fame in the Daniel Library, joining the...
Crossed the Movie
MEDIA RELEASE 6-28-24 For more information please email Robert or contact him by phone at 843-486-3161. Crossed "Crossed" is an 8-10 minute film project about crossed intentions, lost aspiration, gender identity and consent. Logline: A former class clown, now settled...
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...
Freedom?
We think we have freedom, but do we really? Our choices are carefully curated, from presidential candidates to groceries. We have been conditioned to want what we have been given as “choices.” We are told to be happy with these choices. It will go easier for us. But...
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...
Three Dog Night
This classic portrait montage celebrates the owner's three favorite animals in the world. It was presented as a gift and is destined to become a treasured family heirloom. Notice how the eye moves entering from the top dog from the left and moving down and around,...
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...
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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."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
"Reflections on Nothingness" #existentialism This #painting is not a design choice; it’s a commitment to keep looking into the #mystery rather than numbing out. “Reflections on Nothingness” is a #meditation on the space between presence and absence—the quiet, unsettling recognition that everything we cling to is, in the end, temporary. This piece is for collectors who are not afraid to sit with the bigger questions: mortality, consciousness, and the strange beauty of existing at all. Hung in a study, retreat space, or #contemplative corner, it becomes less a decoration and more a companion for the long, honest conversations you have with yourself. Let me know if you'd like to the whole painting ... See MoreSee Less