My innocence was literally stolen when I was sexually assaulted as a kid. So, I tend to present in public as if I am somehow guilty of something. I get nervous and start talking. If I’m allowed to speak long enough, I will inevitably stumble upon some transgression or other I’ve committed in my past. […] The post Baked In Trauma appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

I finally watched the horror show from this past Friday with President Zielinski and the Trump Syndicate.. It’s difficult for me to watch abusive content because it is so triggering for me personally — good luck over the next four years, right? Aside from the ganging up and bullying, I also feel the need to […] The post Trickle Down Fascism appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

America has been longing for a real knock down, drag out existential crisis since the end of WWII. Civil rights, Watergate, the World Trade Center attack. These and many other crises came and went, yes, changing the landscape a little along the way. But nothing has toppled us, completely upended the system as we know […] The post A Better Way appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

This is a story about a boy whose parents talked him out of caring for an injured bird he found on his way home from school. “Get that thing out of here,” his mother scolded. “He’s full of germs!” “Let nature run its course,” said his father. “It’s wrong to interfere in nature.” With tears […] The post The Little Bird and the Hawk appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

I try to walk a line, as a political person, because we are all political beings, even if we shy away from politics. I push the envelope as a citizen/artist, not as often as I’d like to. I restrain myself. But as I survey the current landscape, I find myself wanting more than ever to […] The post Walk the Line appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger I am a survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse, which deeply impacted my sensibility and sense of self. One positive thing that came out of it was that it made me more sensitive to the suffering of others. And it made me more acutely appreciative of our ability as […] The post The Obstacle Course of my Life appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

A Grandma’s love I’m very excited to show another recent commission. This one from a bunch of photos taken by a proud grandma. In this case, Cheryle gave me many options and said “surprise me.” I have found, the more latitude a client provides an artist, the better the result. I think a general concept […] The post Falling Leaves appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

The Posthumous Portrait Challenge Here’s an interesting recent commission, from a blurry B&W snapshot taken in the 1970s, evidently on an airplane. Butch passed away last year and his wife of many years decided to have her favorite pic of him made into a painting. I could see the potential in the concept; I liked […] The post Portrait of Butch appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

Dannagal Goldtnwaite Young has written a book called Wrong, which was recently featured on an episode of Hidden Brain (on NPR), called, “Sitting with Uncertainty.” Wrong is a very enlightening book that not only sheds a much needed light on our political divide but also on the age old divide between realist and abstract art. […] The post Wrong is Right on appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more

It was confirmed for me yesterday that the Watermission compound in Porta Prince, Haiti, where I painted the Last Supper mural fell out of their hands in 2023, when they abandoned the property and the country was taken over by gangs. This was part of my work on The Quench Project. Thankfully, all the workers […] The post The Last Supper in Haiti appeared first on Maniscalco Gallery ..read more