Duke Beardsley – Art in the Big, Bold American West

Duke Beardsley – Art in the Big, Bold American West

Duke Beardsley was well on his way to a career in medicine, when, just before med school, he took a hard turn onto a new path when he decided to pursue art as a full-time vocation. Since then, he has become one of the West’s most revered artists, producing paintings of cowboys, anglers, and the Western way of life in a style that is uniquely his own. His work is big, bold, and completely original, and it continues to grow and evolve in ways that surprise even Duke himself.

Thanks to a childhood spent between Denver and his family’s eastern Colorado ranch, Duke has been immersed in cowboy culture for as long as he can remember. He has been drawing non-stop since he could hold a crayon, and as a child (sometimes to the dismay of his parents) he demonstrated a proclivity for sketching western scenes on the walls of his family’s home. Duke is also a committed conservationist with a deep devotion to preserving the West’s landscapes and heritage. This eclectic mix of experiences and interests, combined with a formal art education, allows Duke to produce works that are ambitious, inspiring, and engaging.

I stopped by Duke’s Denver studio earlier this week, where we had a fun and wide-ranging conversation. We chat about his decision to change his career goal from medicine to art, and the value he gleaned from a formal art education.  He explains that life-long obsession with drawing on walls, and he tells some stories about how, as an adult, drawing on walls has led to surprising professional opportunities. We talk about his artistic process, his meditation practice, and how he managed his extroverted personality in the solitary world of creating art. He also discusses why land conservation is an issue that is so near and dear to his heart, and offers up some excellent book recommendations.

This was a lot of fun and I really appreciate Duke inviting me into his studio. Be sure to check the episode notes for links to everything we discuss, and check out Duke on Instagram, Facebook, and his website.

All images courtesy of Duke Beardsley

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Episode Notes

Topics Discussed:

Information Referenced

• Duke Beardsley
• Duke on Instagram and Facebook
• Dartmouth College
• The Claremont Colleges
• ArtCenter College of Design
• Altamira Fine Art
• Virginia Diaz Saiki
• Las Pampas Lodge
• Patagonia Fly Fishing
• Fishpond
• Woody Beardsley
• Cadillac Desert by Mark Reisner
• Beyond the 100th Meridian by Wallace Stegner
• Legacy of Conquest by Patricia Limerick
• Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides
• Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
• The River Why by David James Duncan
• Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne
• The Heart of Everything That Is by Drury and Clavin
• The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko (Duke accidentally said “Miracle Mile”)
• Cormac McCarthy
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Chinatown
• Blackthorn
• The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
• Ain’t in It for My Health – A Film About Levon Helm
• Yahtzee
• Thatcher School
• Ray Turner