World Views Blog
Empathy for a Survivor
For 1 in 16 US women, first sexual intercourse experience was rape, study says. As a survivor, I find this is extremely troubling, to be sure. But I also wish they had gathered statistics on male CSA. My first sexual experience was being raped by a trusted family...
The Math of the Holocaust
I am a Christian, the father of two Jewish children and I am active in their synagogue. I’m also an artist, theatrician, writer and amateur mathematician. So let's do some math around the Holocaust. Have you ever wondered why there are hundreds of churches for every...
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...
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,...
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"My Backyard" are part of "Identity and Self" #exhibition at @parkcirclegallery through April 25. Lemme know if and when you'd like to meet me there for a #privatetour, Wednesday-Saturday. #artist #charlestonartist ... See MoreSee Less
In Charleston, the name Gedney Howe is legendary three times over.
My #oilportrait of Gedney @lawofficesofgedneyhowe Howe III in his office. I am so fortunate and honored to have been able to share some beautiful moments with such exceptional individuals and those who love them. Gedney Howe III is one such individual, a man who gave so much to this community, as Charleston’s preeminent attorney. I had the privilege of speaking with him briefly before he unexpectedly passed last year. We had planned the portrait to happen while he was still with us. Though in mourning, Gedney IV helped me capture the vision he had for his father’s portrait.
Gedney III and I had one very special person in common, the late Buzz Harper (the portrait above, the iconic gentleman in the white suit and red tie), our dear friend and the designer of the interior of this office, as well as the Calhoun Mansion, which when it changed hands, sadly lost the distinctive Harper touch. The chair in the portrait, once owned by President Howard Taft, a beautiful marble and lovely portrait grace the dark wood law bookshelves. Formidable, but reassuringly warm. Gedney stands confidently, but again, with a touch of warmth. He cared about the #law but he also cared for the people he served so well throughout his storied career.
The portrait will be on display at my exhibition, "Identity and Self" at the Park Circle Gallery in North Charleston, opening today, Friday April 3, 5-7 pm. The exhibition runs through April 25. ... See MoreSee Less
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a prophetess whose fate was to foretell future events correctly but never to be heeded or believed. She was the daughter of Priam, Troy’s last king, and his wife Hecuba. The god Apollo fell in love with #Cassandra and offered her the gift of foretelling the future in return for her love. Cassandra agreed to the bargain and received Apollo’s gift but then refused to keep her word. In retaliation, Apollo cursed her so that her prophecies would never be believed. When we warn of what is happening to our country today, this is how it feels. #painting #artcollector @highlight ... See MoreSee Less
The #Ghost of #Denmark Vessey, 24×20″ oil on linen, framed by the artist
#Vessey appears as an indomitable spirit, standing with dignity, bible in hand, as if he has risen above the hatred of the racists, who’s anger and fear, represented by a posse of angry white men, who have driven his body into the ocean. But they cannot touch his spirit, which endures forever. Denmark Vessey led the first slave revolt in SC and in America. This will be part of my upcoming exhibition at Park Circle Gallery in North Charleston Opening April 3 5-7 pm running through April.
More info:
www.facebook.com/share/18MGV5rPpw/?mibextid=wwXIfr ... See MoreSee Less
Remembering 20x 20″ oil on gallery wrapped canvas – currently on exhibit at @artattheedge Rivers Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, MI. See it in person!
An #oldbutgold #farmer / #hunter pauses to remember the days when everything made sense, if there ever was such a time. We get lost in the memories, which have depended and become something somehow better than how we remembered them. Something not typical for me, I am painting overcast conditions, not a direct, dramatic source of light. Ambient lighting is an opportunity to focus on local color, which I enjoyed very much. Perfect for the #collector's reading room or man cave or for those who revere old age and the worn crusty face of country wisdom. ... See MoreSee Less
“Emergence” is a painting about what happens when you finally stop hovering at the edge of your own life and step all the way in. In the piece, the figure is submerged in water, with the outside world slipping softly out of focus. There’s no safe distance here—only the quiet courage of surrender. The boundaries between self and environment begin to blur, inviting you to feel rather than analyze, to inhabit the moment rather than stand outside it.
This work is for the person who is done skimming the surface—someone who has felt the cost of distraction and now longs to be fully present with what matters: their relationships, their calling, their healing, their creativity. Hung in a space where you read, reflect, or simply breathe, “Immersion” becomes a visual nudge back to your own depth: a reminder that life doesn’t happen at the shoreline. It happens when you let yourself go under.
It will be part of my exhibition, "Identity and Self" at Park Circle Gallery opening April 3, 5-7 pm, running through April. ... See MoreSee Less