World Views Blog
Fame and Fortune
My PR person (me) should win an award. I have had more than my share of media coverage over my 45-year career. It's not just an ego boost. It is necessary for my career to get my name out there, to remain relevant, even though I am actually a shy person (believe it or...
A Brief History of American Racism
This cute little HS project I worked on with Mary a few years ago got me thinking about the foundational conflict of America, which ended tyranny by creating a viable democracy. But underneath this bright beginning brewed a dark underbelly of racism, xenophobia and...
The Epstein Affair
You want to know who IS still alive today? Epstein's victims. You say you want to really know the truth, find out what REALLY happened? Ask the survivors. Listen to them and actually believe them. Is that idea really so hard to swallow? The truth is not dead. But you...
Sociopathy
Sadly, it has become clear that sociopathy is far more common than we ever could imagine. I have found that people of low integrity feel very uncomfortable around those who try to practice compassion, fairness and morality, and who demand the same from their elected...
A Commission as Collaboration
We're Jamin' Once in a while a client allows me to do whatever I want. Of course, what I want is to please my client. I have found the best and only way to please the client is to please myself. But pleasing anyone, including myself, is a funny thing. The truth is...
Patterns of Force
Cherry Picking Fascism "Patterns of Force" is a classic STOS episode that feels very current. The premise is John Gill, a historian from the 23rd Century, decides to cherry pick the aspects of fascism that "worked well" for society and incorporate them into a utopian...
Expressive Realism
"Looks like a photograph" Many people tell me paintings look like a photograph. While I know this is meant as a compliment, I would like to make the case that my work as painter is far deeper than a mere photograph, with apologies to fine art photographers everywhere....
Father’s Day
Losing one's father is a sad moment in anyone's life, no doubt. But it is also a necessary and meaningful milestone. Even as we honor and acknowledge how much our fathers have done for us to make us the individuals we have become, we need to put in perspective the...
We Know What’s Coming
We've all studied enough history to know what's coming next. But still, many of us are choosing to bury our head in the sand. Some of us are not. But we all still own it, even us "never trumpers." We've allowed this to happen. If we voted, marched, wrote, posted,...
Portrait of Monsignor James A. Carter
Called to Greatness out of Necessity I'm very excited to finally be able to share my portrait of Monsignor James A. Carter, created for ECCO of Mount Pleasant. A native of Charleston, James Carter grew up on Broad Street and was ordained as a priest in 1966. He...









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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
A special invite and great GIVEAWAY! The seventh person to PM me their email address will win a beautiful Lmt. Ed. Giclee. AND get your discount on all things ManiscalcoGallery.com.
Exhibition Opening April 3, 5-7pm
Park Circle Gallery - Through April ... See MoreSee Less