Portraiture Blog
Under a Bushel
I've always believed God has a way of bringing certain talents to light. Experience tells me that everyone has gifts, areas of exceptional insight, something many people refer to as "talent." Some know their purpose from an early age. My sister always wanted to be a...
Inside the Artist’s Studio
http://hkpowerstudio.com/inside-the-artist-studiorob-maniscalco/
Artfields 2016
I am very excited to have been selected as an exhibiting artist for Artfields 2016, with my painting of Louise Noel, part of The Quench Project. This competition is open to southern artists and is modeled after Artprize, held annually in Grand Rapids, MI. There are...
Recovery versus Relief
An Excerpt from “Quench” part of The Quench Project Haiti is now in a recovery stage; the emergency relief aid has faded from the headlines as time has passed since the tragedy of 2010. Part of my intention in The Quench Project has been to keep our focus on the...
Thirsting for Solutions – City Paper on Quench Project
December 23, 2015 Arts+Movies » Features Robert Maniscalco paints Haitians overcoming the 2010 earthquake Thirsting for Solutions By Bryan Granger Courtesy of Robert Maniscalo The enduring optimism of Haitians is what made...
Atlanta Portraits
Portrait artist, Robert Maniscalco travels to Atlanta, GA. Over the years, I have created a lot of portraits all over the country. Here are just a few of the many favorites I have painted for my clients in Atlanta, GA. It's like a second home to me as a portrait...
The Family Portrait
Family is not an important thing. It's everything. Michael J. Fox We were recently in Detroit taking in the colors and celebrating Cate's grandmother's 100th Birthday. Here's a little painting I did as a gift to the birthday girl. I also had the pleasure of...
Getting What You Pay For
I have recently lost a few commission portraits to part-time artists, who were able to considerably undercut my fee. There are many reasons why this is happening more often than in the past. I'm hearing more and more often from my colleagues that there is a lot of...
Quench, the Book, Coming Soon!
9/29/15 PR - Quench, the book, Release Date Renowned Charleston artist, Robert Maniscalco, has created an exhibition of paintings, expressing hope and renewal, inspired by his Vision Trip to Haiti in November 2014. The book, "Quench," is to be released in November...
The Secret to Happiness, from Haiti with Love
From the upcoming Quench - reflections on God, art, water and equality by Robert Maniscalco Pastor Medit Sanon runs the Bread of Life Missionary Orphanage, in Jacmel, Haiti. Julio and I are welcomed with warm embrace. No doubt, a hug is the best way to begin any great...
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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
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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