Portraiture Blog
Dr. Timothy West Portrait
Dr. Timothy E West, MD is an early pioneer in the field of Infectious Disease here in Charleston, SC. His portrait will hang at Roper Hospital and was presented to him on May 5, 2018 as a surprise by his wife and Lowcountry Infectious Disease, his practice over many...
Jerry Zucker Portrait
36″ x 48″ Governor & CEO Hudson’s Bay Company SC Icon The portrait features Mr. Zucker in dynamic repose, expressing his energy and vitality. The light streams in from a window behind. In the bookcases to his right are binders, containing his over 300...
The Art of Empathy
My goal when I approach a portrait, either commissioned or non-commissioned, is to exercise empathy. My job is to relate to my subject, to feel what they feel, as I am expressing it in paint. The way I practice empathy in a realistic rendering is to be honest, without...
Alton Davis Portrait at Michigan Supreme Court
Excited to present this #oilportrait to Justice and Ms Alton Davis for the #MichiganSupremeCourt. The official presentation of the #portrait before the full court will be sometime next year, TBA. I wanted to capture some of the brilliance of the man using a more...
Capturing a Killer – Westof Magazine
Cover Story in Westof Magazine on August 2, 2017. more information about the event. more information about the Exhibit more information about The Quench Project see Courtroom sketches from the Dylann Roof Trial. ...
Portrait of Rocky
Rocky Lives! To celebrate Rocky's twelve years (and counting) on this Earth, Mary and Gren, his mom and dad, decided to have an oil portrait. Love, devotion, fondness don't begin to describe the feelings this animal has engendered from his family. I'm sure they would...
Start with the Idea
"Find the art in yourself, not yourself in the art." Constantin Stanislavski People often tell me they really want to be an artist and ask me what they should do to become successful. Most of them have stars in their eyes and are looking at me to feed their ego. "Do...
Media Release – May 25, 2017
Updated 7-3-17 Contact: Susan Irish (843) 566-3383 or Robert Maniscalco (313) 689-2993 for more information The Quench Project and the Mire of Desire at FABulon Charleston, SC. Robert Maniscalco will present new paintings from The Quench Project and recent sketches...
Drawing Through Tears
Tragically, most people are more interested in what Roof is going to say or do. "how is he reacting?" But the real stories are those of the survivors. So today, my focus is really on the amazing people, over 8 witnesses thus far, who are survivors, family and friends,...
What is Racism and Why Our Society Just Doesn’t Get It
We need to talk about what it means to be a racist. After my stint as courtroom sketch artist on the Dylann Roof trial and the recent election, it seems the definition of racism has evolved. When people's feelings get hurt because someone is suggesting what they are...
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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