FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2026
“Now, that’s Art to Believe” rm
Contact: Robert Maniscalco, artist/author
[email protected] mobile: 313-689-2993
click on text for links ↓
Identity and Self
a solo exhibition by Robert Maniscalco
at Park Circle Gallery
in North Charleston
April 1 – 25, 2026
with an opening reception on April 3 from 5-7 pm.
<– Robert will premiere his latest painting, a Self Portrait, called “Nobody (Ouri)”
Everyone’s wish as a child is to capture the light of a Firefly. It so happens I had the privilege to create the portrait of the man who did just that, Paul Schaap. The challenge was to control the various light sources in this mystical wonderland or light, without losing the effect of the illumination on the young girl;s face. When I saw this beautiful child I knew she was the one I wanted to be this wonder child, who like all of us, wondered at the miracle of bioluminescence.
The exhibition will feature work from my personal collection, focusing on non-commission portraiture and imaginary realism, each a meditation, challenging our ideas on Identity and Self.
Identity interferes with our 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. When I attach identifiers to characters I am creating as an actor or portraitist, I find it so easy to lose their essence. This is even more true in life, when we lose touch with our true selves, when we attach identifiers to who we are, like “I am loving” or “I am patriotic,” “I am a survivor of CSA,” it limits what else might be possible. It is clear to me that I am infinitely more than who I say I am as a father, a Christian, middle class, a realist, an artist, a businessman, etc. These are a meaningless distraction from who I am at my core.
I remember at Circle in the Square Actor Training, with the legendary Terri Hayden, who was Blanche to Marlon Brando’s Stanley, in the original Broadway production Streetcar Named Desire. A young actor stood up in front of our class and with great difficulty announced, “I’m gay.” She paused a moment, then said, “and what else are you?” The question opened a world of possibility for this young man.
So, who are we at our core, after we strip away the names we call ourselves, little cages that seal our freedom. Are we the parties with whom we affiliate, the causes for which we are fighting? After all, as important as we make these things, they are all inventions of the ego, which separate us from God and the infinite.
I had an epiphany a while back. I was blessed with a glimpse into the eternal workings of the universe. I can’t even trace it back to a particular moment. It came out of a simple thought. I had the realization that I am one with everything, that God is everywhere, even in my darkest thought and even the farthest, unimaginable planet. I didn’t experience God with my ego. It wasn’t a picture of a bearded man in a white robe. I was no longer “Robert.” I had a simple, quiet experience of WE AS ONE, from my true self. Perhaps it was when I looked into a scene I was painting or a moment on stage when everyone in the room was connected with a feeling we experienced together, where felt an overwhelming connection with all things. The sense of this oneness has never left my consciousness. It’s as if it has always been there, which it has.
I believe I am a painter of the self. I am looking always for something deeper than the surface representations in my subjects. It is your true self I am looking for when I paint you.
When faced with this realization, our ego seems so small, the things we value, so unimportant. My idea of myself, of God, of the way of the world, have fallen away. All the inventions of man now seem so small, yet ever so much more marvelous. Reality has become larger and yet somehow less meaningful. When I become overwhelmed with the demands of my life, I simply remember it is all one and then I am free again, free indeed. I believe this we-as-one self is available in life and even after.
Robert Maniscalco Presents Several Important Portrait Commissions, Publishes his Sixth Book and prepares for his Solo Exhibition at Park Circle Gallery in April.
. . . along with several great feature ideas for those in the media who want to truly inspire their readers and viewers. See past Media Links for more inspiration.
Robert is working on his Memoires with a working title, “Nobody’s Boy” Release date late 2026
Robert presents recent musical scores for orchestra and chamber ensembles JANUARY 2026
Robert Presented his portrait of Monsignor James A. Carter for ECCO of Mount Pleasant JUNE 2025
Robert Presented his portrait of Dennis Drew, founder of Sunshine House
NOVEMBER 2025
ART => CASH => CHARITY
JANUARY 2026 UPDATE: Job and Abel have escaped Haiti
They are now in the Dominican Republic, working on getting to Mexico where they can live in freedom and contribute their amazing talent and Holy Spirit energy in productive ways. Theirs is a very wonderful story of perseverance in the midst of terrible adversity.
Also . . .
Live Portrait Painting of Leyla Gulan aired on September 4, 2024. Then, Robert appeared on Palmetto Live with Emilie Zuhowski. in 2025 Robert has created numerous new works, including Firefly, which recently won best in show at the Coastal Carolina Festival. Nonno was invited to the recent NOAPS national show. Gratitude won an honorable mention at the Charleston Artist Guild Signature show and several other awards. Robert recently made an appearance on Art school Live with Eric Rhodes, seen by thousands on his international art publishing forum. Robert created a portrait of Butch from a snapshot taken in the 1970s. Falling came about when a Grandma snapped a fantastic pic of her grandson. See the Light will be part of Artfields 2026. See why. Please note several recent BLOG posts with lots of good ideas about art instruction, world views, portraiture and motivational themes. Robert’s work as a survivor of CSA is truly inspiring.
Watch the segment on Youtube
Portrait of Patrick Duffy for the Hibernia Society in Charleston MARCH 2025
At this annual event, the oil portrait of the past President is unveiled. This year that honor fell upon Patrick Duffy, who was the President of the society over the past year. His portrait will now join the portrait tradition of illustrious presidents going back to the beginning of the society in 1840.
Portrait of Mayor Joe Riley presented at the Citadel JULY 2024
Robert presented his portrait of Joe Riley on July 16th, 2024. It is now part of the Wall of Fame in the Daniel Library. Mayor Joe Riley with General Glenn M. Walters and the artist. For more information on the Riley Portrait.
Portrait of Hon. Kurtis Wilder presented at the Michigan Supreme Court
Maniscalco presented two portraits of Hon. Kurtis Wilder, one at the Michigan Supreme Court and this one to the Washtenaw County Courthouse.
Find out about having a portrait
Portrait of Paul and Carol Schapp presented at Wayne State University
Robert presented his portrait of Paul and Carol Schaap to the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University. He is now working on creating an arts center in Grosse Pointe, MI – due for completion in 2025. University on April 22, 2024 to great acclaim. For more information on the Schaap portrait.
Nonno
Gratitude
Maniscalco paintings invited to two consecutive National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society shows.
<– Maniscalco Publishes his play, Vincent John Doe
Maniscalco Publishes his fifth book, Chromo Sapient –>
Chromo Sapient became available in soft and hard copy versions in December, 2023. Chromo Sapient features poetry with images, all by Maniscalco.
Robert Appears in National Commercial for Clic Eyewear
The Power of Positive Painting has become a #1 Amazon Bestseller!0
Forty years in the making, author, artist, and gallerist Robert Maniscalco delivers an inspiring how-to-draw-and-paint masterpiece to artists of all levels, in The Power of Positive Painting, the big (8.5″ x 11″), beautiful, 145 page, full color book, now available in hard and soft cover and as a Kindle eBook.
0 The P3 is an excellent guide to energize budding artists or curious first-timers, who want to engage in painting but either don’t have the confidence or the know-how. Seasoned professionals are also learning things they didn’t know they knew! Robert Maniscalco gets under the skin of his process and urges artists to move from couch to canvas in The Power of Positive Painting. Unlock the Dazzling World of Color and Light. Maniscalco shares his carefully guarded secrets to making a painting look 3-D. “Why not deepen your painting skills during Covid19? Re-imagine yourself as the artist you’ve always dreamed of being.” 0
Retail Price: $29.95 on Amazon $24.95 Autographed copies direct from the author Or, Get an Autographed HARD Cover edition
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Contact Robert for his next Book Signing, Painting Talk/Demonstration or to set up an entertaining/instructional Book Signing/Demo in your venue.
Art Stores, Art Schools, Art Centers and Museum Gift Shops are Now Carrying this valuable artist resource. Visit The P3 product page to see more reviews this book has garnered. Learn the secrets of the masters. Capture the visual realm by distilling the essence of character and create art that seems to be living and breathing with light and life. Take bold, positive action with this proven method.
The Power of Positive Painting is filled with powerful illustrations explaining the secret methods and systems of the Frank Reilly system, used by the world’s top realists. Maniscalco is a highly sought-after commission portrait artist. His exquisite oil-on-canvas portraits and fine art can be found in over 850 prominent, private, and public collections throughout North America. Maniscalco is former host of Artbeat on PBS and founder of the Maniscalco Gallery in Detroit. Robert was courtroom sketch artist for the Dylann Roof and Slager trials. This is Maniscalco’s fourth book. One of America’s top commission portrait painters and representational artists, Maniscalco has also created numerous videos, blogs and led hundreds of workshops and classes on the subject of portrait and representational painting over his forty years as a top professional. He is also a playwright. His latest, Vincent John Doe, asks the question, what would happen to Van Gogh if he suddenly materialized in present-day New York City.
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“My point in writing The Power of Positive Painting is to break us out of being stuck, waiting and wondering what to do next. Sure, the book delves into the experimental, responsive nature of painting but mostly the book is about getting us into action and keeping us there. Like relationships, like politics, art calls for positive action; art is a force to be reckoned with. There is power in making art that is convincing and authentic. The Power of Positive Painting inspires us to be a positive force for change, starting with our art. It is willful; it provokes, it instigates, maybe even angers us. The Power of Positive Painting asks us to be bold, to be our best, to be decisive, in a world where “anything goes” and “waiting for inspiration” is the infuriating norm. Instead let’s get into action, right now!” — Robert Maniscalco
Robert’s other three books are The Fishfly, Point of Art and Quench. Robert BLOGS extensively about the arts and speaks with authority about the creative process, the ‘democratization’ of art and the evolving roles artists and creatives are playing in today’s society.
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“Put Robert’s lifetime of study to work for you because the best way to learn is to learn what a master has discovered. Robert deeply understands the how of teaching, and what you must go through to learn. The Power of Positive Painting focuses on the craft aspect of painting. Certainly, Robert’s artistry comes through but no attempt by him is made to sway the reader stylistically. His method is intended to equip you for any representational genre, style or subject. Robert explores that place between art and craft and science with courage and sensitivity.” —Eric Rhoads, founder and publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur and Plein Air magazines.
“This book presents an organized comprehensive overview of a broad variety of techniques and ideas which make up the systematic approach to representational painting developed by the late Frank Reilly. It serves as an excellent refresher course for those who have previously studied Reilly’s teachings in great depth, and it’s a good basic introduction for those artists who have not been so privileged. The underlying principles that informed Reilly’s teachings are clearly evident in the works of history’s greatest master painters.” — Marvin Mattelson, award winning portrait artist and educator
A great introduction to drawing and painting. Robert’s “No experience required” approach means a student can learn step by step without fear of getting lost or overwhelmed. — Robert Schefman, Professor of Fine Art, College for Creative Studies, Detroit
0Request a Free Media Kit, including a complimentary eBook of The Power of Positive Painting
How the P3 is helping overcome Inattentional Blindness
Who is Robert Maniscalco? Artist Bio
Below is a recent interview on News Now, Fox 24 CHARLESTON about The PPP
More story ideas from Robert Maniscalco
https://maniscalcogallery.com/product/power-of-positive-painting-the-full-color-book/
ENDS
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