The Golden Skies series came about after several years of experimenting with new ways to create my urban/rural cityscape scenes in a fresh way. I was inspired to utilize gold leaf after seeing the biopic film, Klimt. In the movie, Klimt (John Malkovich) is working the “Adele Bloch-Bauer” portrait, and in the scene, he was applying gold leaf on the painting. Later while visiting the Timken Museum in Balboa Park, I viewed the collection of Russian Icons on wood panels. The reverence and visceral experience I felt from the luminance of these traditional Icon works inspired me to recreate this feeling in my work. As I continue to develop gilding techniques, I often refer back to these works for inspiration. In the art world, gilding techniques are considered as merely a decorative art. My goal is to assert gilding as a more contemporary medium. -Duke Windsor This is a one of a kind original acrylic and gold leaf painting by San Diego artist, Duke Windsor.