About the Artist

Michael Dukes is a retired Veteran of the United States Navy. He currently works in Northern Virginia as a Data Center Engineer.

Michael resides in Madison Virginia with his wife Susan, which is located under the Shenandoah Valley near the Shenandoah National Park.

Artist Statement

I am Michael Dukes, known by friends, coworkers and family as Mike. I have been drawing all my life. I found my love of the Stippling technique when I was a child.

My artwork is done in Stippling, which is a Pen and Ink art medium that produces unique illustrative patterns using black dots. The dots used in Stippling create different variations of shading and tones that create value and contrast. Stippling is a slow process that does not allow for mistakes and can result in beautiful, photorealistic images.

My artwork is all in dots using a RAPIDOGRAPH © Technical Pen. I use various pen tips to achieve this effect and no other style of Pen and Ink technique is used in my process. I do all of my pictures first in Black and White, and then I may do a 2nd process depending on the subject to add blended ink color.

I am passionate about my creative process and I love the challenge of taking a subject and bringing it to life. I have always been fascinated by all the variations, patterns and tones in nature. I try to capture these details in my work. My wife is my biggest supporter and helps with all aspects of the business.

My wish is that my artwork will enrich your life in a pleasurable and meaningful way.