Episode 25: Duke Windsor – Modern Renaissance Man

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Episode 25: Duke Windsor – Modern Renaissance Man – Our guest Duke Windsor has lived an exciting life and has experienced opportunities that most men can only dream about. Duke shares with us each of the career paths that ultimately led him to become a fine artist.

Duke began his exciting life journey in high school, singing and acting in the school theater, which led him to an interest in music, and ultimately he became an opera singer.

After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He went on to become a radio operator, combat illustrator, and drill instructor at the famous Camp Pendleton Marine Base. He served his country as a proud member of the United States Marine Corps. After leaving the service, Windsor was a freelance illustrator and amateur rodeo cowboy, competing in bull-riding, bareback, and steer wrestling events.

After the Marine Corps, he subsequently studied classical voice at San Diego State University and performed professionally with the San Diego Opera Chorus.

To keep in shape, Windsor holds the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt in Kempo martial arts.

He continues to be an active singer-songwriter, guitar player, and solo performer. He creates his art in his studio located at his home in the Mt. Helix community.

Windsor has over 15 years of museum exhibition design and installation experience; he has worked for the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego History Center, and Mingei International Museum. Windsor served for seven years as founding Director of Exhibits at the USS Midway Museum. Currently, Windsor is CAD Design Engineering Manager at Full Swing Golf Simulators, headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

All of Duke’s life experiences are reflected in his art. He has painted scenes from his days as a drill sergeant in the Marines all the way to cowboy art. His latest focus is less representational, and he is focusing more on his abstract artworks.

Show Transcripts:

Episode 25: Duke Windsor Modern Renaissance Man

00:00:18 – 00:05:00

I see you are wearing your Infamous podcasting shoes. I am they’re all shiny and I can see there so glittery, Leah, and they’re blinding me, they are address up when we do our app, I know. And I wear my usual uniform black on black t-shirt that said, hands off. That’s it. The usual stuff. Anyway, this could be a great show. It is Thursday. Hi, everyone. And here we are celebrating. What people love to do creatively. I’m Ron Jones and I’m Angie Jones. Welcome to the thought. Rogue podcast, we invite you to subscribe where viewers person and we are available virtually anywhere. You listen to podcasts, know better what you do creatively, this is the podcast for you. Okay, Angie what are we going to discuss today? Well today is going to be speaking with Duke Windsor and how he is. A Modern Renaissance, Man. Renaissance, that’s a great word, our guests, you know, we’ve had some really great guests long ways seem to share interesting aspects of their creative life that are always unique. They’re always interesting but I can’t wait to it. This guy has to say. Yeah, but first about your mom, okay, so our quote this week if you always put a limit on everything, you do physical or anything else, it will spread into your work. And in fact, Life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus and you must not stay there. You must go beyond them. Okay, who said that? Bruce Lee, another one of Bruce Lee dead. He’s fantastic. We’ve been, we’ve been using his quotes periodically. This this one is a little bit complicated. I mean I think I understand it but what about the plateau part? You know, for me when I when I read this I we all want to reach the plateaus because that’s where you can take a breath and just kind of go. Yes, I achieve this or I, I’m where I want to be but I think if you stay too long, in a plateau, life tends to bring on a lot of contrast, unless you keep that forward momentum going. But yet still remain respective. It’s kind of an interesting balance you trying to have to expand your Plateau, right? You have to increase the size just like the universe, and the universe is always act, even moving, and if you get too comfortable in any way, Spot. It just seems like we’re pushed to move further to achieve more and that all generally equates to us being happier because we’re constantly in a state of creating wage being ourselves, right. You know, maybe being on a plateau is kind of like having a bunch of trampolines and you just go front bouncing from one Plateau to another, if you are able to take that full motion and be receptive, you know, you’re just you keep bouncing along instead of going into the deep valleys, you’re able to just keep bouncing along like a ball. Well, when you think of plateaus especially like in Arizona it’s just like that. They they’re very high. You’re up there. You have a tremendous View and you can see maybe what your next challenge is from your plateaus. That’s a very good. I like that very much. So next we’re going to go to our semi new segment which is rods motivational moment. And what do you have for us today Rod? Well, what I have is the only person And that truly knows if you are good, or if you are bad is yourself. And I know that could be a little confusing because it’s not about being naughty or nice home. It’s more about you know, if you’re truly living up to your own expectations and if you’re not, you also know what other people can’t define you. If I, you are the person who to find yourself on the inside, which we all do, right? There’s your defining yourself. You wanted to find yourself being the very best that you can be. Yeah. And, you know it and if you’re not doing a good job in any aspect of your life, you also know that nobody else knows it as Bill as well as you do well, that’s probably true. But you know, when you say that this is, my mental picture, I think of old cartoon with the angel on the right side and the devil with a pitchfork sending on the left shoulder and you know, that’s what comes to my mind.

00:05:00 – 00:10:03

When you talk about good and bad on that page. I look at you across our podcasting table. How come you have so many angels on your shoulders while it down at mine? I have these pitchforks. I don’t stink. So I am actually one is tried to stab the microphone. Oh my gosh. No thrown me off know, your horns are holding up your Halo darling. Thank goodness, there you go. So okay this morning I’m going to change the subject this morning. We were talking about time and this morning we were having breakfast, we talked about time and if you could only catch Time in a Bottle you know like the song with Jim Jim Croce song. Yeah that’s goes to kind of multitasking right? Yes I guess if you are not managing your time right and you feel like you have to multitask then maybe I don’t know for me. Multitasking, it means for me when I make a list and I go down the checklist and I’m you know like if I can do one thing then I check it off, I can’t do another, I’ll come back To it and, you know, try keep revising my list. I’m not sure if let’s just a mirror, very organized person. So when you have a list and you follow your list, you’re being very organized. What? Unfortunately what a lot of people do when they multitask? Yeah. Is they’ll concentrate on the tasks that are the most rewarding and not concentrate on the ones? They really should be home sometimes though, right? I mean like there’s something you don’t want to do and you want to move on to the other fun things or the things you know, you can do really well and moving that down the lives sometimes and you just like, you avoid it that you procrastinating totally while the procrastinating is what gets everybody into someone of trouble and said, just focusing on the thing, they really want to get done first. And then do the other things are less important. That way you wrote attention the most energy goes into the most important thing first it’s maybe more important to finish a painting than it is to vacuum off. Or yeah. But sometimes if you don’t want to do your painting cuz you don’t have a good idea, vacuuming sounds like a really great idea. I mean, because you’re procrastinating and you don’t want to deal for one thing we know for absolute certain. Yeah, is that everybody. Every single person is exactly the same amount of time in a twenty-four-hour period. Like you mentioned Einstein. Yeah. Einstein has the same 24 hours that you do or, you know, fill in the blank with any. Very brilliant, or trend-setting person that accomplishes am amazing things in their lives. You have this exact same twenty-four hours and I suspect they’re concentrating on the most important things. First, they are, and they’re keeping very focused on the things they want to do prioritizing. Yeah, they’re prioritizing. And the interesting thing when we were last night, we were listening to Earl Nightingale as I was making our homemade spaghetti sauce home. And we were listening to other people. It was quite good. Oh, well, thank you and I are Sunday night treat is spaghetti, spaghetti. Yeah, that’s when we have our carbs for the Thursday, that’s the only day we’re trying to be more low carb but still low fat but anyway we’re listening to Audible and it was Earl Nightingale. It’s called The Strangest Secret life, to live the life you desire. It’s from Nightingale Conant and it’s available on Audible. But we really liked. I really the take-away for me. It was really nice to hear all this positive, like replenishment to your mind and body and soul of the things that you need to prioritize in your life and the main thing was time, you know, how is it that you’re able to not accomplish all the things that you want during the week? Because you’re thinking about a million other things that you have prioritized over the important things that you should be doing? Like you’re thinking about all the things you don’t want to have, absolutely, which is the more energy you put into that. The more it’s going to come back to you. So he he made a point of saying don’t focus on the things that you don’t want in your life. Only keep laser focused on the things you do on in life. The interesting thing I have to say about Thursday night and Kill The Strangest, Secret of the first time I listened to that, it was a long time ago. I was in my twenties and probably my early twenties. And I’ve repeated listening to that as well as other motivational thing all along the way. And this one particular one, I listen to every couple of years or so. Yeah, both ends and I listen to it, just to yeah. Replenish our spirit. Give us a little more energy because better focused but if you, you know, I think there are a lot of really great motivational speakers out there. I happen to like, Brian Tracy, I’ve learned a lot from listening to him.

00:10:03 – 00:15:00

And it’s just a good thing to do. It kind of, keeps you focused? It recharges your battery. I love all that. I think it’s very important. Now of course, a good friend, that is highly motivational quotes. Someone that is always Pat you on the back and telling you do such a great job like as parents, you want to do that for your jewelry. Exactly. But it’s really important, if you’re not getting all the Kudos that you need the Box, just a motivational tapes and not going to hurt you, I can assure you of that know. In every time you listen to him, you get a different take away, you’ll you’ll notice something different or read something different. And that’s really applies to your life for that particular day. You know, like watching a movie. I saw this movie six times and every time I see it, I see something new and interesting in it and that’s true. And, you know, we’re not here to advertise for nightingale Conant, but they seemed really beneficial, they’re really beneficial of that Strangest Secret is, it’s worth checking out. If you have the opportunity to do that. Definitely. And then also that he was talking about talent and what about Talent, well, you know, it can be very demanding. Yeah, and it requires a long time to develop it, right, right. But we all have hidden talents inside and some surface and others sometimes. We repressed, because we feel like, oh, it’s not the same time or we’re trying to be responsible because, well, we need to go to work, or we need to do other things. And, but really the key is, is, if you’ve got, if you know, your talents, you’ve written them down, and you know, what they are, and you’ve, you really comfortable with where your talents are is not to go into many different directions cuz then you’re diluting. It will tell us good repressed and it’s often, you know, by a parent or a well-meaning friend and they say, oh well, you’d really don’t want to do that or that’s too big of a challenge for you or you sure you’re up to it and then give you all dead. Where they called naysayers. They sell all this negative stuff and then all of a sudden you decide oh well maybe I don’t want to do that and that statement to they own self be true. I think it’s Shakespeare, it’s very important for you to just address those talents internally exploreum and don’t wait, if you have something that you really want to do to express your talent, rather it be music or painting or any craft that. You really enjoy doing your, make sure you do it because it’s good for your brain, keeps your brain active. It is good for your soul. By the way, it’ll just make you happy person and make you more pleasant to be around. I think. Absolutely. And you’ll feel fulfilled and not so probably anxious because you’re able to express yourself in a way that you feel that that’s when a talent is and people that can continually I think stuff their talents down in the basement because they’ve got all these other grown up things to do, I think they get to a point in their life. Is where they’re either it makes them depressed or anxious or they’re just really dissatisfied with life because they’re not able to express those hours. The worst case that area there is when you look back and say gee I should have thought I don’t know why I didn’t I should have done it when I was younger right? Or whatever. I mean that that is an unfortunate thing that we’ve all heard from people, other people saying that page and guess what? You don’t want to be there. Know and it’s like, why not? But kind of the opposite and what’s really interesting about the guests that weren’t have today? Yeah, he’s maximized most every minute of his life and that in itself is quite a challenge, not too many people. That’s what we refer to this shows Renaissance because he truly is a renaissance, man. He’s done so many different things with his life. And not, everybody can live up to that and maybe some should in some shouldn’t, I don’t know. I’d say on him because he has done an experienced, such a wide berth. Change of careers in his life. And I think he can be very inspirational for people that go. Oh, well, I don’t know, I’m scared, whatever. He just jumped in and did it all really. He’s going to, he’s going to be a very inspirational to let you know that you can do a lot of different things in your life and be successful at all of them. So let’s move on to this interview. I’m excited. Let’s Do It Off. Duke. Welcome to the thought, Rowe podcast. We’ve been really looking forward to chatting with you today. Yes. Hi Duke. So good to have you with this today. Thanks, thanks for having me, on a yes. So what is it like where you are today? Is it raining? Or what’s going on? Well, it’s starting to feel a little chilly. I’m think it’s almost like we’re going back into a hibernation moment, but I think it’s part of our, our maigret Series.

00:15:00 – 00:20:06

So we got a little bit of drizzle and a little chilly temperature. Oh, that’s very true. June Gloom? Yeah, yep. And that get all that. All that, you know, we were introduced to you by Jean sassy at The Sassy Museum of Art. I guess he worked with you or no shoe for several years now and he thought you would be a great guest. And after wage really chatted with you, we agreed that you would be a great guest, you know, even really looking forward to having you as a guest, on our podcast. Oh yeah. And known Gene for a little while now. I mean, he dead Wish me to his new Museum and actually has one of my pieces in his collection. Excellent. Fantastic. New museum is quite nice. We haven’t been down there but we’ve been looking at pictures yet, not yet. For two years. So beautiful. Yeah. Okay, so before we move on to our interview, we always like to ask our guest. What they had for breakfast. So Duke. What did you have for breakfast today? Yeah, that’s an interesting question. For me. It’s, it’s kind of odd because I recently shifted over to intermittent fasting and the keto diet. So, okay, so that’s the only thing I’ve had this morning has been a cup of coffee and a large glass of water so so that’s where I’m at right now. So I’ve heard a lot of people doing this intermittent fasting. Yeah. Combined with the keto and they’ve had such good results and they feel like it’s more instinctual instead of you know just having to eat because it’s time right? And and it’s you don’t starve on this dog. Like other other programs and because of what we’ve gone through, notice myself eating a little bit more. So it was time to make a shift. So about two weeks ago, I ran across this with a friend of mine who actually just had a wonderful experience with it. Last year, you lost about seventy five pounds over the course of the year. So it was great. So I’m going to try that. You know, a lot of people have gained weight, gain the energy, for the last G, went to see your doctor or a week or so ago. And who is always ragging on her about her weight. She’s only a few pounds overweight and then she went to see the doctor and he looked like she gained like twenty pounds and he said, I can’t, I can’t tell you what to do. I can’t even tell you what to do anymore, because I’m gaining weight, cuz he’s like this or Fitness. So, yeah. Well, good for you by chance. And yeah, we, you know, we entitled this show Modern Renaissance, Man, because Duke is one of those gentlemen that has invented and rebirth. Ended up taking advantage of many talents that you have true. And so Duke tell us about some of your life experiences and your occupations. I think everyone is really truly going to be amazed by your curiosity and there’s for life and your Jersey Shore. This is low shortlist. No, no, actually, it was right after the high school. I joined the military. I went in the US Marines, and I spent some time in there doing several physicians. At first, it was radio operator for an artillery battery in my reserve unit. And then I transferred to San Diego, after being accepted to become an illustrator, at the time, it was called combat illustrator, but it’s actually now considered as graphic Specialists. Did that change as well as spend time as a photographer at El Toro before it closed in. Before I, I mustered out. And then my wonderful swansong of the Marine Corps was was graduating and becoming wage Marine Corps drill instructor and now I put the right. Yeah, d. I and that was that was wonderful. And and, and it was a great experience and after the military I became a commercial illustrator but just prior to that I got an opportunity to work up in Campo on a ranch there for about oh about eight months helping to move cattle from one one area to another. So I was a little bit of cowboy walk up there and during the time I was doing that I was doing rodeos I was a bull rider and steal wrestler take them rolling and did that for a little while to Team Roping and that was fun. I got a little bit older and wasn’t that good at bull riding so it was time to hang, hang the Spurs up for that. That’s a rough one. That’s a hard on your body, right? Oh yes it is. So from there, you know, went on to become volcana music while I was doing illustration work and got into music and I was singing country and western and I was, you know, it was time to get my chops back as a singer and song. I guess a little bit when I was in high school I was in music in high school. I was in the band and also, in in the choir and I went all the way to State Choir and in Texas as a sacred choir. Of course, alternate and All State Choir as dinner. You know, and very good voice. Yes. Yeah, and it was, it was wonderful. So when I was singing in the in bands and singing country and western side, it was time to, you know, work on The Voice or to San Diego, State auditioned for that and got a you know get a one-semester scholarship to San Diego.

00:20:06 – 00:25:14

State is in classical voice message, gravitated toward Opera at some point and then you know and I spent I’m sending estate several years, went on to eventually audition is saying for several years at the San Diego Opera Opera chorus and that was a fun opportunity to do that. Various jobs was architectural, draftsman, mechanical draftsman, and then I moved on into theater package. Took my talents from for a musical theater into that for a while and traveled around the country in the late eighties with national. I think it was the National Theater for children. I did that for a year and a half and came back to San Diego and went into work for the Gaslamp Quarter theater company is one of their stage managers became front production stage manager there, I was there. I, I picked up back into the martial arts and when it was time to move on from the theater, I had the opportunity to teach martial arts cuz I had already picked up my Black Box by then. So I ran a school with my business partner for about four years in Grandfield here in San Diego. And so from martial arts went on into other interesting things because I had started, my name is Art Studio in 1994 downtown at Gaslamp during when it was still the red light district back in those days. And we know we know that, cuz that’s where my studio, right? That’s a rarity Joe. It was also a time when you can afford a studio, I had a 250 square foot studio for $200 a month. Yeah, that’s never going to happen again. So, yeah, so I did that and off to get a little bit more into the history of Art and get a little bit closer to what the Masters did. I had the opportunity to work at the Museum of Art as one of their preparators thousand trained to do that for two years, progressed from there became prepared for an international Museum. That’s where I learned exhibit design through Mars a long neck or who was the founding director there, then, from there went to the Natural History. Museum became a traveling exhibit designer for the Natural History Museum. Now, called the NAT I stayed there and then had a wonderful opportunity. After I was there about four years, to go into the managing side of a non-profit of a department and became the director of where the first director of exhibits. At the USS Midway Museum, and I stayed home Eight years as a director of the exhibits Department there. So, you know, circles are back around to hear some in my studio a lot more too. So yeah. So in reality you really haven’t done too much with your life, maybe you suck. I’m still trying to figure out what to do, what you can do when you. Are you going to do when you grow up Duke? Yeah, that’s a good point. You know, I have to say two things that kind of interests me, is your Opera, you’re seeing off. And as a cowboy in those stones, those two occupations don’t seem to couple together very well, but you actually explain how they did because you started seeing country, which I assume that helped you develop your voice, right? And when you sing opera, are you a tenor? Or what are you? Well, at the time, I was, I guess you’re kind of mid-range to high tenor in my younger days. I’m more of a tender bear. Mail. A second tenor or baritone range. Even though I talk in a lower register, my singing register is still much higher than this. So, yeah, so, you know, singing in front, man, you gotta have stamina, you gotta have the club, You’re going to be able to perform and so with proper training, anyone can sing any type of music wasn’t tied into Opera because when you get tied in just to an operatic voice, it’s very difficult to back off and go into singing country or folk or even Rock because you you pick up certain techniques that doesn’t translate over. So there’s a joke which of those Styles gave the greatest pleasure which one? That’s not fair. It’s like saying which one is your favorite child boy? That’s not very difficult sometimes. Yeah, really. I would have to say in satisfaction of performance it would have to be being able to perform German leader and sing classical as for, you know, having something that’s more of a laid-back. Feel of course is country but but I think for the purpose which side I have to say, it’s the classical side. So oh excellent. No, I think it’s more challenging. Probably in and a lot of respects so well I guess one dog. To the other, right? Yeah. And developing your voice developments. Yes. But also, it’s also made you and singing in, generals makes you a very good communicator. That’s why I suspect your own successful and some of these other occupations because you could communicate your thoughts and ideas, right? People would really understand what you were saying. So, I guess, all of that was very valuable to you. Is that, right? Absolutely. And even going back to being a draw stroke or drill, instructor taught me how to become a teacher, you know, because it’s not just yelling and screaming at the Young recruits, you have to teach classes, you have to have faith, and you have to have a structure, then you have to have the discipline to prepare for that class.

00:25:14 – 00:30:07

So it’s the same thing in the civilian world, you know, it translates over to that as well. So, you’re also forming these young men. You’re taking boys and turning them into man, and you have to have a little bit of psychology going on there because everybody is different. So, when you’re talking to one recruiting, you may have to home Him slightly different only to get him motivated, I guess to move to the next level of where he needs to be so he can graduate right, right. That’s, that’s understanding that I understanding human nature and in the philosophy of what people go through and where they came from, you know, how do you use a certain type of psychology to get that person to perform better? There’s about Thursday. I mean I’ve known drill instructors and I was in the Navy. So I understand to this to some degree, were you ever educated in that area? I mean, did the Marines say okay these are how this is, how we do things that they give you a book that they teach you did, you Shadow other drill instructors to see how they were handling the troops. Well, you go through a full 12 week boot-camp. Okay. When you go to Georgia to school and it’s on the same base, you go through a whole drill instructor of boot camp. It’s exactly the same. You start your day, just like, it would have been if you were still a recruit except they only do that job. A couple of days just to give you that Feel Again, of what the instructor is supposed to be doing your demanding movement, you’re demanding to get from point. A to point, B, without delay without questions, done the training, you get a full Manual of being a drill instructor. Along with a manual which is called a sop standard operation procedure as well as to the drill book. There’s a drill guide, you have to learn verbatim word for word on how to teach a particular movement. When you become a drill instructor in the seal, your name assigned to a senior drill instructor who has two other Junior drill instructors. You are considered as the least, Junior, you’re not a recruit, you’re not a probate, you’re not anything like that. You are following in gelang, what they do, but you’ve already gone through that with your drill instructor school training so you’re ready to hit the ground, running your call or something. At that time. You are considered as the one that’s off. Most energetic. Usually, you know, the newest drill instructor is how much more vocal they are. Yeah, I’m sure. I mean, one thing for sure, we all know the Marines out of old military services are some of the best trained most combat ready and tons of self-confidence. I mean, America is very proud of the Marines and as we all should be and we thank you for your service. Thank you. Thank you. You know, Steven pressfield said one time when they’re talking about the Marine Corps they said that they heard that the Marines are taught everyone how to become you know great military leaders wage. They said something that that stuck with me. Says know the Marine Corps do not teach you how to become great leaders, it teaches you how to suffer and continue to move forward with true. Discomfort, that’s that’s very interesting because it makes you better. When you are not comfortable, you will be able to excel wage Rather than being stagnant. So it was very interesting to hear that so absolutely. You ask a Navy SEAL when he’s in the water off of Coronado Island, freezing for hours on end, they learn how to suffer pretty good. I think he’s he’s got a question that I know our listeners are anxious to find out. Do you know? I’m going to kind of revert back to painting. Yes. And I know one of your talents is painting and you excel at creating paintings. So what are when did you start painting? It looks like I’m a mass sometimes about, you know, how long it take you to paint that particular piece, and I have to say, well, it took me about 55 years to get this completed. I started around 5. I know that’s the earliest. My mom has right before she passed away. I found out. She had all these pieces. I mean, early paintings that I had done, including a painting that I’ve done. That was one of those paint-by-number sets, so, yeah, that I had written notes on that paint-by-number set that these colors were Incorrect, and they were off. And she had sent that off to the company. That made it. Oh my goodness. And they sent back a letter responding that you were absolutely correct. And they sent me a 6-month Supply off of paint-by-number sets. There you go. So it was great to see. So that was around seven, you know I was around seven or eight at the time and good for you. And so on through a control all the way through today, I don’t think there hasn’t been a time that maybe there was a few times that I’ve a few years that I kind of backed off and relax from painting and did other things, but it’s always been there.

00:30:07 – 00:35:10

I’ve always been doing something else. I don’t know, I don’t know a week that hasn’t gone by that. I haven’t paid at something so you know, too long drive good? Yeah, keep keep going. Yeah, when you know, when we originally looked at your website, a few a couple of weeks ago, and it was to learn about you and learn about your artwork, and I see that you have painted your paintings, reflect different aspects of your life. Different things that wage Phases of his, thank you. And one of them, the rodeo being a marine out of all of those things that you pay. What would you consider to be if you do even have one. I know it’s hard to say about favorite style or topic, maybe a better word to say out of all those things that you’ve painted and you reflect so beautifully on your website which one of those. Well I’m always partial to my Urban song. I’ve always been attracted to the urban scenes here in in San Diego. I lived in North Park for a long time and my main subject has always been the alleys of North Park. That’s specifically remain subject for me. I will always come back to that right now. I’m in my gold leaf series of works the second one, you know. It depends on mileage relation at the time. I have thousands of of sketches and ideas and, and sketchbooks that I may never get to. I have a whole full series of rodeo paintings that I haven’t gotten to yet. I’ve gained My autobiographical painting set that I’m still working on, that has to do with going through boot camp, Norman, Rockwell did a series. I think his Gillis goes to the Army, and then, he goes to this. And that whole series all the way through to him sitting on a sill, with his pipe, in his mouth, at the University of getting his degree. And it was a wonderful series. I thought, that’d be a great autobiographical series of my life with me since I’m not a writer, you know, I’m a painter. So, that’s something that I have in my actually, you would be able to visually tell a story of your life. And basically, just by, looking at your illustrations that we’ve seen each one of them actually does tell a bit of a story. We need to look at them and we recognize some of those alleys in North Park because we live their life. Yeah. So when I saw your website with the paintings of North Park and the Allies that really was very powerful of how everyday life As and including all the power lines and everything it was so it’s very Urban it’s a very Urban but really a very real. Yeah, these are an interesting thing is that all of these paintings all tied to a parts interesting link. That’ll tell us about it. I was on my way to I think I was a brown belt at the time. I was on my way from my home, in North Park heading, to the studio, martial arts school, the dojo and not as I walked through the alleys to get there in one day, I was walking through one of the alleys and I saw the light coming through a building at the name, through the vortex, all the way down this outlet and the light went through those alleys in such a spectacular way. You know how the southern sunsets are. Yeah, I mean oh my God it’s a light was just going through there and I thought I ran back home and I went back and I grabbed my camera back in the day when we used to shoot film. And I came back and the angles of the Shadows were just perfect, all the way across and this song Flight shouldn’t Source was shot. Several shots of that when I developed the film film later, I decided to do some little watercolors of those, and that was the birth of the series that was at those photographs were taken in ninety-six, and I did about six, or eight months of watercolors of those images. It wasn’t until 2000 that I actually started doing the paintings. Began his long before the goalie. He was the older paintings were blue sky, big Southern California, Sky palm trees everywhere. And so that was the culmination of this and it happened to be because I was in a way to martial arts class and I’ve been doing this over since so I’m back to. It looks also like you’ve been exploring abstract paintings? Yes. That was around the time when I ran into think it’s Jean while back. When you first started I was doing a series of abstracts at the time I spent about two years like 2011 to 2013 just get off Away from realism to explore the world of Roscoe and Pollock and Klein and all of the grapes and and frankenthaler all of a great abstract painters to explore. What is this thing that everyone keeps talking about? And I spent some time doing that and those are also a seed from the alley paintings as well behaved as if you look down on the ground you’ll see, cracks and patches and multiple different looks as you look down on the ground.

00:35:10 – 00:40:12

Those are that visual is like the visual of of an action abstract painting with textures. And so that was the seed of a lot of my abstract work down there. So yeah, very interesting especially if you look at the ones that I think call Resurgence. Yeah, those were all based on sidewalks and alleys just looking down at home. At the ground. So and they can be very abstract right man? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so being the kind of guy that has embraced occupations that require resourcefulness and talent and and discipline. How did you manage to stay on course? Yeah, that’s no boy. So much going on. Oh boy, that’s a tough one. I think a lot of them has been been luck of being able to find positions and jobs that stayed with stayed the course of at least something that has to do with creativity. I mean today. I’m a computer aided drafting engineering manager of a golf simulator company. Yes. But the design work of that is interior design and layout and design and and as well as understand the perspective. So so that’s still ties into this too as well. Yeah, I think it’s been I have not allowed myself to go off to do something completely opposite of what I’m interested. Then even if it was working in the museum, feel it still has something to do with the design or installation of an exhibit of an exhibit. Even though into the Natural History Museum. At first seemed a little to do with my art but it was designing the the Interior Space know, the exhibits to be very creepy. Yeah, no Captain will have to design him in such a way that the person who’s walking through that museum gets a return to think. Oh, I well, I get it. I see how they have an understanding. Yeah. Well and and also for me to present to the board on this is the exhibit, what it’s going to look like. I have to create a proposal as well as a rendering of that pass. So it all ties together. So I’ve been relatively lucky that I was able to stay within within the framework of this. So that’s really nice though. Yeah, the way you keep your momentum going forward, instead of branching out and kind of diluting, what you, what you want to do really is, you know, both, G9 bed and lived in San Diego for quite some time. And we were really pleased to find out. That was your home base. Instead, he has been was always a good place for us. We did a lot of creative work there. How did you wind up there? I kind of suspect the same way I did cuz I know the Navy there and I’m assuming your military. That’s how. But how, how did you end up? Well, you’re right. I mean, I could have gone to any City in the military, you know, at first of course, is boot camp out here for for me, cuz I was on this side of the Mississippi. It was west of the Mississippi. So we came to came out here to San Diego, to Hollywood, Marines, found things that went back home cuz I went into Reserve so I could go back to school and that’s where I went back to school to Texarkana and would text kind of college to study architecture. Cuz that’s what I thought I was going to do. So I took a year-and-a-half of architecture at the college and minored in art and then I was in the reserve. So I just want to ask where I was a radio operator, but then I found out that I had an opportunity cuz my dog. Gruder knew that I was, I was an artist, and he called me and told me, hey, you know, they’re opening up a bill in San Diego for combat, illustrator illustrator, you’re interested. I said, God, I was thinking about trying to get into the band and he goes, well, you going to have to fly to Florida to audition if you want to do that, you know, with this, all you need to do is send in artwork to the headquarters Marine Corps and see what happens. So, I did that cuz I was a lot easier, less expensive and so I got orders to San Diego. I could have gotten orders to Cherry Point North Carolina to have gone to Norfolk Virginia. I could have gone any place, but it happened to be San Diego and I’m never left the city would be a good fit, you know, you’ve had so many different careers. Yeah, really. So many different careers wage but so has San Diego been a good City for you as an artist. It’s been okay, it hasn’t been absolutely absolutely great compared to other cities that support dog. Visual artist, right? I think it’s wonderful for the Arts, you know, for, you know, music dance, you know, Symphony Opera, you know, theater, of course, spend don’t doing very well but it is. It does have a few things that are lacking compared to other cities for individual artists. It’s growing it’s getting better and we have over 5,000 artists that are listed in. I think there was a study done but I would say still only about 1% of that is actually you know, working full-time and a lot of those that do work full-time, eventually, San Diego off to other cities, big cities that have more resources, you know, it’s getting better.

00:40:12 – 00:45:00

I mean, we’ve got, you know, I know you’re probably not going to like to hear about this at all Rod, but but, you know, indices now, Liberty Station home, you know, no kidding. Yeah, I know, I did not know that. Yeah, it was, it was bract several years ago, you know, quite a while ago and became Liberty Station, which kept it keeps, the theme going wage, Actually little Museum, kiosks throughout all the buildings and they’re opening up a lot of the barracks, they’re artists Studios. They’re, they’re just they’re, they’re, it’s like an art Enclave. Sending a watercolor Society, is there a women’s museum? Is there some of the barracks. 16 + 16? + 16 + 19. They’re actually wonderful art. Individual art studios back. Lot of the other buildings like sale ho which was the golf course. Yeah I mean a lot of those areas you know the Cadillac Cafe I mean there was a Corvette cafes there. Yeah. You know, so there’s a lot of things things going off to see there that’s for the Arts but is not enough. It’s still very very minimal is more restaurants and shops and stores than artists Studios. It’s just open destination. Yeah, yeah, I mean cuz what happens is that when artists moves in like like myself, when I moved into my first Art Studio, the developer job All that, this is a great way of making money, so they jacked up the rent and then everybody has to move out and then it becomes gentrified. And so everybody has to move out and so like I have my home videos in my home now, so since home on home, so it’s, you know, I still love San Diego, it’s still still my, my home base, but, but yeah, it it’s, it’s been, I think we should just say it’s very provincial and, and, you know, in ways it was, it was, it was a beautiful place to live. There’s a really great people there, but I think our greatest achievements and accomplishments were always outside of that City we had grants that we weren’t with that were all over the world and not, you know, we had people that we work with them. But yeah, well if it wasn’t for Sparks, Sparks Gallery, I mean, Sparks galleries, on T Sports. It’s sports gallery. She’s my representative here in Southern California and she’s she’s in gas. As well, and gallery owners like that. That support the local community local artists. You know, they’re the champions of of what we’re trying to do, but a majority of my sales have gone through there through her. But my, my shows most of my shows that hit the beginning of my career as a right now, pretty much New York, New Jersey, Kansas Florida, not as much here, as well until this year. So I’ve got a few things coming up. So I’ll put you out of all the careers that you’ve had and you’ve had quite a few Cocker. What would you say which which one of them gave you the opportunity for your own personal growth? Well I have to say the the ultimate one was graduating from Marine Corps drill instructor school to become a drill instructor at twenty. I was twenty years old, I spent my twenty first birthday babysitting recruit to Camp Pendleton instead of going out, partying, and it taught me that the keys to dead Remember about, you know, what is your mission? It was the first time I had heard understanding how to get something done in a certain amount of time with quality and under budget, and it’s the same thing as anything else that I’ve done in my career and it all goes all the way back to that. And I think the second thing is being the director of exhibits at the Midway Museum to see the smile on those kids face when they come and they see those planes for the first time, it was just the ultimate thing. So I bit, you know, we’re going to we’re kind of walk against the clock a little bit, just so we interesting and in such wonderful things to say, Angie do go with your question and I want to hear the answer of this one cuz it’s such a good question. If you were to give advice to someone who wants to become an artist, what would it be? Well, I would first, first thing I would tell them, you know, to be an artist is one of my biggest biggest pet pig. Leaves is that learn to draw even if you don’t draw well, learn to draw and keep a Sketchbook. The other thing is have courage. Believe in yourself, no matter what anybody says, you know, don’t let don’t let me just get a new way embraced criticism and ignore detractors. You know, people that are going to wage against you just ignore it. Just follow your own, your own feelings about what you’re doing and show up every day.

00:45:01 – 00:50:07

You know, show up in the studio every day. Even if your studio is, is, is kind of a table in the kitchen show up every day and be ready to work because being an artist takes work, and don’t be afraid of the business side of it. That is going to be, that’s going to be the key because artwork will not be shown at all. If you don’t understand about your business side steps, no matter, no matter, how good you are. So absolutely sure if you have to paint outside and usually, your car, lights to light, your cameras, familiar, there you go. There you go. So okay, if you can’t ask this one rod, okay, besides all these dead, Accomplishments that you’ve had and you’ve had plenty, is there something else that you still want to do that? You haven’t mentioned. I mean, I think you’ve got you covered a lot. What’s the next phase in your life at this point? Well, the next phase is, is pushing to get into more galleries cuz the ultimate goal is to be able to finally be able to do this full-time. And I can’t do it full time with just one gallery to eventually, possibly run my own Gallery with along with Studio to be in full control of what I’m doing as well as because the thing about it is off, we are the only industry in which the person that creates the work only gets 50% of their profit when they sell em to exactly a doctor doesn’t do that. They don’t split it with anybody even if there were a hospital. So it’s one of those things where, you know, you have to make a choice, you know, what do you want to do? If you want to make a full-time living at it, you have to take control of the full amount of your income and and expenses. The other thing too long. Is I want to teach again more after this whole and different things out of the way. Start teaching again more cuz I really enjoy doing that. That’s great. Because that’s that’s our job has artists and teachers wish to pass on our knowledge to other people. So they can become better than we are. But seems to me. It seems to me that you can put all three of those together. You can have a studio, a gallery, and a teaching space, right? Friend you. And then, you could monetize all three and I think it’ll be booked teaching like crazy. And then the the gallery I’m sure will be a huge success. Well, I also plugging things as well. I also like them to pass a resolution of adding more hours today. I think you might need that right, right. But also want to get better at my guitar and learn Play The Cello. There you go. It sounds nice. We have a relative that plays the cello know. I do play it by ear. Yeah yeah that’s one of our favorites. You go off. Okay, so now we’re going to ask you a question. We’ve been asking all over. I guess. If you could sit on a park bench and chat with anyone from the Past, who would it be? Bruce Lee. Oh God. That’s that’s that’s a very interesting one. I could see why you would gravitate yes. Oh definitely. Yeah. And I’ll tell you why. Because of his philosophy, I mean, he was very, very often sounds cool about movement about the martial arts and about life. And so there’s there’s there’s a that would be an interesting conversation to have with him about a few things. So I you know, it’s interesting you should you chose him? Because we’ve actually open we open our shows with a quote and on more than one occasion we used a Bruce Lee quote unquote. He’s got some insightful, very motivational and very well-thought-out quotes you can understand. The man is a lot by his quotes and very intelligent guy been dead. Right. Absolutely, I guess this question you kind of answered this but I love to know, we’d love to know what you want to be remembered by. Well, I wanted, I do. I would love to be remembered by someone by an artist that added something more to the, to the dialogue of Art and answer. That’s a really good answer. Yes, it is Thursday, a good luck? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, even though it’s, it’s, you know, it’s very difficult to make that point, you know, just when I say it took a very difficult thing because I need to make this point is that it’s, it’s always The Gatekeepers that make those decisions on who should be remembered either in print, or a context of the history of Art and us. As as the artist, we don’t have that, we don’t have that control, you know? But it’s a wonderful like and we’ll see what happens. I think part, one thing is wrong. Changing though, it’s kind of a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a double-edged sword and then social media because now social media has a gives artists the opportunity to show their Wares to a broader cross-section of the population, right? And then people can a form their own opinions without necessarily having a curator, or someone else telling you said I should like, and what you shouldn’t.

00:50:07 – 00:53:17

Like, it’s kind of the democratization of our, our artists. And I think this is turning out to be a very good thing. It’s got its issues. I mean, there’s there’s a lot of something that’s not so good, but for the most part it be for both engine and I it’s been a great thing. Yeah we’ve gotten more exposure worldwide. I mean we ended up having are are permanently in a museum in Ireland thought was pure lie. That was wonderful. That was exactly. Yeah, yeah. So it does create opportunities out there and you don’t necessarily need to rely 100% on the gallery. Although it’s an important element to the whole process. Yeah, I think they should feed off of each other actually. Yes. Yeah, exactly. So Duke. You’re not only talented, but you shared a lot of information about your creative journey and how you have navigated through life. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you. Well, thank you. I agree. With Angie joke. You’ve be very open an office, especially the different aspects of living the creative life, nobody can ever say that you let grass grow under your feet, my friend. Yeah, unless it’s Alfalfa because then the horses were probably want to bring your grades into your little raised under your feet, pretty amazing journey that you’ve lived so far and I suspect, this is only the beginning. I think you’re going to achieve many great things as you move forward with your art and and maybe your singing and anything else that you do. I don’t think you’ll go back to the Marine, so yeah. No, I don’t think they want me number. It will be back. There’s something really, really happened. Something wrong in trouble. We’re in trouble. Yeah, I appreciate you guys having me on board. And I really, really had enjoyed a chance to talk about. It can gives it inside and what’s going on in my head and and it’s been a wonderful experience. Thank you so much. And very welcome, you’re welcome. And we just want to let everyone know. If you want to know more about Duke Windsor off his terrific art work. We will have links in the show notes and also under the show guests tab on thought roll podcast., so everyone can learn more about Duke and connect with him. I’m on social media. Yeah get to know him he’s an artist working. Well I guess this wraps up another great show. I think so and and Duke has led such an inspiration life. I think it’s going to be so motivational for many people that are listening and thank you for being a guest again on thorough passed away. To hear the responses. The responses are artists of birth. It’s been pretty amazing, so take Luke, thank you guys, bye-bye, bye. Angie by but I’m really glad you tuned in today. We hope you enjoyed the thoughts ideas. We shared with you. We post a new podcast every week. So remember to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss an episode. So it’s bye for now from my husband rod, and I am wishing everyone a great day.