Artist Spotlight: Joshua

“My name is Joshua Hartzler, a.k.a. ‘The Duke of Artz.’ I am a self-taught, traditional mixed media sketch artist diagnosed with autism, which causes me to walk around sometimes and talk to myself sometimes by quoting specific movie lines from specific scenes. Sometimes I get anxious and have a hard time understanding particular situations but I try to make it work.

As ‘The Duke of Artz’ I enjoy drawing and sketching Power Rangers, celebrities, people, dinosaurs, animals, fairy tale creatures, landscapes, movie and TV show characters, Halloween monsters, and almost anything that allows me to showcase my talents to delight and entertain others.

As an autistic artist, I‘m compared to a sponge, soaking up any and all information around me, my art being a direct reflection of my observational qualities. I draw inspirations from the characteristics of people and places I examine in real life, read about in books, and study in films, and I also enjoy writing stories.” – Joshua