Interview
Duke Windsor
Born in Texarkana, Texas, Duke Windsor was a combat illustrator and drill instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps. After leaving the service, Windsor was a freelance illustrator and rodeo cowboy, competing in the bull-riding, bareback, and steer wrestling events. He subsequently studied classical voice at San Diego State University, later performing with the San Diego Opera Chorus. Duke maintains his passion for music as a singer-songwriter and guitar player. An avid martial arts practitioner, Duke owned and operated a martial arts studio for seven years, eventually achieving the 3rd Dan in Shaolin Kempo in 2001, under Headmaster Robert Perlswig and subsequently promoted to 4th Dan by the late Sijo Victor "Sonny" Gascon Founder of Kara Zenpo Go Shinjustu Kempo in 2003. Duke has since trained in other styles of martial arts. Windsor opened his first art studio in the Gaslamp Quarter in 1994.
Since then, he has artistically explored a wide range of subjects. Windsor's Urban capes have been exhibited and received awards at juried exhibitions, group shows, and corporate venues in San Diego and Southern California. They are held in many private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has produced portrait commissions and military historical works. Windsor works in various mediums, including pastel, oil, acrylic, watercolor, linocut block prints, and, most recently, terracotta sculpture. His artistic breadth ranges from Plein air to abstract. 2009 Windsor received the Art Kudos International Online Merit Award for Acrylic Landscape painting. He has exhibited internationally, including in Ankara, Istanbul, Mexico, Yokohama, and the U.S. Windsor is an Associate Artist member of the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, International Acrylic Painters Association, and San Diego Watercolor Society. He is a former board member of A.R.T.S. (A Reason to Survive), which empowers troubled youth through the arts, and he is the former Education Chair of the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild. Windsor has also served as a member of the Public Arts Selection Committee of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority Art Program. Duke is an experienced art instructor who has taught art to adults and children at numerous venues and has juried for many local and regional art exhibitions. Duke has over 15 years of museum exhibit design experience, including eight years as founding Director of Exhibits at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. He is currently CAD Design Engineering Manager at Full Swing Golf Simulators, headquartered in San Diego. Windsor's studio is located on Mt. Helix near La Mesa, California, and is represented in Southern California by Sparks Gallery. Windsor's art studio has been at his Mt. Helix, California home since 2015.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I hail from Texarkana, Texas. I've being drawing and painting most of my life and was very active exhibting throughout my school years. My family used to get the Saturday Evening Post and I was always facinated by Norman Rockwell's cover art. I joined the U.S. Marines right out of high school to eventually become a 4611-Combat Illustrator and a later a U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor. After the service, I opened my first studio in the historic Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego in 1994. Today, I live and work in the Mt. Helix Community near La Mesa, California a suburb of San Diego. My studio is just a few steps and a cup of coffee away in an a converted detached garage were I continue to create my works.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I became intrigued by the type of marketing I saw from fast-food companies when it came to America's favorite food: the hamburger. It's why the series is called “American Icon”; it's about that love. Our love of burgers, of what we've eaten. Many viewers were warned not to come hungry when I displayed the series at my latest exhibition in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It's also about our quality of food versus what was eaten back then, and the commercialization of that food as well. It's not necessarily a poke at that industry, but in a way, it's tongue-in-cheek. Can a painting of a hamburger elicit a desire the same as a photo ad does? I always think of that movie with Michael Douglas (Falling Down) where he gets his burger and gets really upset about how it looks. It's a poke at that. An artist's job is to create a dialogue and really get in-depth of the meaning behind something. The concept of what we see, and what we really get.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“If I am working on a genre painting such as a specific theme, whether it is wildlife, urban, still life I will do some preliminary work in a sketchpad, to get an initial concept. This is only a guide because when I start painting the actual piece, I will make some intuitive adjustments and changes.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“Typically, I am a self-motivated artist and try to avoid trends because trends tend to change but my muse cares nothing about trends. I experiment here and there and rely mainly on my own thoughts and directions to create my work. I look to the past for some inspiration then add my own spin.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I am inspired by the Dutch masters, to create still life. that are as accomplished as they are enticing, and I use gold leaf inspired by the Byzantine and Russian Icons I used to walk by while working at the Timken Museum in San Diego, as an exhibition technician.”
“An artist's job is to create a dialogue and really get in-depth of the meaning behind something. The concept of what we see, and what we really get.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My artist, human legacy mattered. I existed. I was here. I mattered. Creating a painting can also serve as a means for self-reflection and personal exploration. Through the act of painting, I can delve into my own thoughts, memories, and identities. It becomes a process of introspection, allowing them to examine their beliefs, values, and experiences. In this way, painting becomes a transformative journey, enabling artists to discover new aspects of themselves and gain a deeper understanding of the world. Through my work I hope some part of me will last the test of time and I will not be forgotten after I’m gone. My motivation in creating a painting is a deeply personal and multifaceted aspect of my own artistic process. Whether driven by emotional expression, self-reflection, storytelling, or aesthetic exploration, artists channel motivations onto the canvas, leaving behind a visual legacy.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My work is a part of me. I cannot pick a favorite because they are all special and play a significant part in my life and artistic journey.”
Website: www.dukewindsor.com
Instagram: @windsor.duke
