Duane Kirby Jensen Explores The Dark Beauty Of Human Emotion Through Art And Poetry
Photo: Pacific Northwest artist Duane Kirby Jensen with his latest work, exemplifying his distinctive style of emotional realism through vivid colors and expressive portraiture. Photo Credits © 2023 Peggy Larson
Pacific Northwest’s Master Of Emotional Realism
Artist Duane Kirby Jensen combines painting and poetry to explore human isolation, environmental decay, and emotional turmoil, creating powerful works influenced by Film Noir and personal experiences.
Duane Kirby Jensen stands as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most compelling and thought-provoking artists, whose work fearlessly delves into the depths of human emotion and environmental consciousness. His remarkable journey as both painter and poet has produced an extraordinary body of work that challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths while discovering beauty in darkness.
As Editor of WOWwART magazine, I am particularly struck by Jensen’s masterful use of FW Ink and his unique ability to blend multiple mediums to create pieces that resonate with raw emotional authenticity. His prolific output – producing up to 370 paintings annually – speaks to an unstoppable creative force that continues to evolve and push boundaries.
The artist’s personal history and philosophical outlook have shaped his distinctive style, earning him the fitting title “Seer and Speaker for the Broken Souls.” His work, influenced by Film Noir and German Expressionism, captures moments of human vulnerability with an unflinching eye while maintaining an underlying message of resilience and survival.
In this exclusive interview, Jensen shares insights into his creative process, discusses the profound influence of his artistic family heritage, and reveals how his dual identity as painter and poet creates a powerful synergy in his work. His candid responses offer readers a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist who has dedicated his life to exploring the complexities of human existence through his unique artistic vision.
Jensen’s fearless artistic vision and masterful technique create emotionally charged works that challenge viewers while offering hope amid darkness.
Can you share your journey into the world of art and what led you to pursue painting?
There was no journey in the traditional sense. I was born into an artistic family on my maternal side. Be- fore I could even walk my grandmother and grand- aunt took me with them as they painted barns, estu- aries, lakes and mountains around their Stanwood, WA hometown. They would lay paper and paint near me. I have always been a painter.
How do your personal experiences shape the themes and emotions in your artwork?
From a young age I developed a Hobbesian world view. I have always felt alienated. I viewed myself
as an orphan, which escalated when I was four. My father abandoned our family and I found my younger brother dead in his crib. My formative years corre- sponded to the Vietnam War. Everywhere I looked I encountered veterans missing arms, legs and hands. My world view grew bleak. I have known dozens of people who have committed suicide, died in acci- dents, and who have lost touch with reality. These events have seeped into my art and poetry. I seldom paint happy.
“When I paint, I want to capture the image the way a filmmaker would—one frame at a time.” – Duane Kirby
I paint many ‘What if’ dystrophic scenarios resulting from man’s abuse of the environment, man’s cruelty to man be it war, the history of genocide, the bla- tant destruction of society, and hate mongering by governments that threaten deportation. This leads to a state of melancholia. Because of this I have been called ‘An Outsider Artist’ and ‘Seer and Speaker for the Broken Souls.’
What inspires you most when starting a new painting, and how do you choose your subjects?
For the last nineteen years I have produced between 150 to 370 paintings a year. I have thousand of ideas. I am never lacking inspiration.
“I carry my own blood, a confluent of conflicting hereditary lines.” – Duane Kirby
How does living in Washington influence your cre- ative process:
I have always considered myself a painter free of geographic boundaries. Because I use bright colors, many people think I live along the Mediterranean, or in Africa or Central America.
Are there specific art movements or artists who have significantly impacted your style?
My art has been inspired by film noir. Additionally, two movies that I watched at age 5 and 7 affected me deeply, Kanal (1957) and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They (1969). These films dealt with isolation, dis- enfranchisement, lose of identity and death, while exploring an individual’s moral flexibility when life takes an unexpected and uncivilized turn.
I gravitate toward the work of Edward Hopper, my favorite artist, whose work, along with German Ex- pressionism influenced film noir.
We understand that you are both an artist and a poet. In what why do they affect your creative process. Or is each one independent of the other?
My painting and poetry nurture one another, which allows me multiple ways to express my thoughts and emotions. I have incorporated poems or lines from poetry into paintings. The two forms create an artis- tic balance that propels my work forward.
What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from your artwork and poetry?
People have often called my work subversive. I call myself an Emotional Realist. I want people to feel, to achieve this I often will use ink, watercolor and acrylic in the same painting.
In 2014 I had an exhibition entitled, Eight Years After the Flames: A Retrospective of Works from 2006- 2014. Three weeks after the opening, I was asked
to remove a large portion of the show because the subject matter (facial expressions) made people uncomfortable. I was labeled “TOO EDGY FOR BELL- INGHAM.”
The following is the closing stanza form my poem, The Blood I Carry. It underscores what I try to do as a poet and a painter.
“I carry my own blood,
a confluent of conflicting hereditary lines. A man fluent in the ways of darkness, choosing to pen poetry that bleeds shimmering words devouring shadows, laying bare blunt truths with the exactitude of dissecting a frog.”
What is your preferred medium??
I love FW InkTM . When I paint with ink my brush dances. There are no wasted movements and I enter a creative zone that isn’t obtainable when I use wa- tercolor or acrylics.
Do you follow a particular routine or ritual when working on your pieces?
I just paint. I am not even sure if I had a routine or ritual in the past. During 2005 I realized I wanted to devote more time to painting. I looked at my life and began eliminating things stealing away my time. This included a time-demanding job. I also decided to live thin, which allowed me to work 3 days each week, giving me four uninterrupted days to paint. Starting in 2006 I was painting 10 hours a day on my free days and three to four hours on days I worked.
What advice would you given to emerging art- ists?
I stress to artists the importance of having a creative space in their homes. The space does not need to be large. Have your paint and paper, board or canvas set up. This way you can sit down and paint without wasting time setting up your materials. The more you paint, the more you develop a positive creative habit.
I encourage people to sketch. Carry your sketchbook everywhere. This creates hand eye coordination that will enhance their painting skills.
Learn to paint through the ugly stages. Often people get frustrated when their painting is not looking like they envision. Trust the process.
Also, when you paint, look at ways you can take a well trended subject and put a personal spin on it, making it unique to yourself.
Can you discuss the challenges you’ve faced as an artist and how you’ve overcome them?
I have never felt challenged. I have sold over 400 paintings. I have appeared in many magazines. My art has graced many covers of many poetry books and one CD cover. I have yet to appear in a museum, but there is still time. I would love to have an exhibi- tion at the Tate Modern. It is a fantastic museum and would be a fulfillment of my artist dream.
EDITOR’S NOTE
In “Surviving the Fire in the Sky,” Duane Kirby Jensen masterfully captures the essence of human vulnerability through his distinctive expressionist style. The painting’s protagonist, rendered in a patchwork of bold colors, emerges from an orange-hued backdrop reminiscent of an apocalyptic sunset. The subject’s elongated neck and melancholic expression create a haunting presence, while the interplay of warm and cool tones adds emotional depth. Jensen’s technique of layered brushstrokes and textured application brings a raw, visceral quality to the piece. Created in 2015, this work exemplifies Jensen’s ability to explore complex emotional states through his unique visual language, balancing isolation with an underlying sense of resilience.
