R.J. DUFFEY is an accomplished artist whose work over the past 25 years ranges from portraits to sports art; from religious pieces to commissioned maritime renderings. He can paint on a large scale, executing enormous murals, but is equally accomplished on the lighter side, as shown in his quick sketches and caricatures.

Duffey's signature style is evident in his "biographical portrait" renderings, where an individual is captured in a formal portrait which incorporates important events/scenes from the subject's life. Duffey also has translated his lifelong love of things nautical from his boyhood fascination with constructing hand-hewn models of his personal fleet into his adult renderings of ships, including the U.S.S. Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Epping Forest. Duffey's original work of the U.S.S. Pearl Harbor was requested by the U.S. Navy, and was presented to the ship's commanding officer at the commissioning ceremony on May 30, 1998.

Duffey's other passion - sports - is reflected in the 2200 square foot (110' x 20') mural on the exterior wall of Spanky's Sports Bar. The mural, "Spanky's Wall of Fame," shows sports figures with ties to the Palm Beaches. The "Wall of Fame," as long as ½ a city block, graces the West Palm Beach skyline. The mural has captured the hearts of sports lovers, and has become, over the course of the last two years, a landmark on the downtown West Palm Beach scene. Most recently, Duffey completed artwork on the interior walls of "Mulvaney's Irish Pub" on Church Street in Orlando, Florida. Prior to this work, his rendering of "The Celtic Legends" for the interior of "Mulvaney's" in the historic Comeau Building on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach caught the eye of patrons and critics alike. Duffey is also the author of the "Sports Rivalry Series," a whimsical and colorful series of prints which depicts various team mascots engaged in battle with each other, the outcome changing from team to team.

The breadth and depth of Duffey's talent as an artist is obvious to everyone from the connoisseur to the untrained observer. His knack for color, capturing figures and objects in motion, and his classically-rooted training all come together to form that difficult-to-attain style known as classical realism. Many an artist can maintain perspective on the scaled-down canvas, but few can translate their art to the twenty foot high wall without making the figures appear stilted and contorted. Duffey is able to paint both the standard-sized as well as the large scale canvas. He recently completed a 20 by 20 square foot mural for a private client, depicting "The Last Supper" in a style emulating DaVinci.

Duffey's art has appeared on television - with original art for NBC Sports and recently on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" - and in print for Newsday, Long Island; Madison Square Garden, New York, New York; The University of Notre Dame, South Bend Indiana; United Press International (UPI), New York, New York; The Irish Echo, New York, New York; The Buffalo Evening News, Buffalo, New York, and CaneSport, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.

For instant gratification and entertainment, Duffey continues to execute his quick portraits and caricatures at parties and special events throughout South Florida. Duffey is one of two caricature artist recommended by the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Florida. On several occasions, Duffey has been asked by the Museum to appear at special events to entertain Museum guests.

Duffey received his degree in Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. He is married with five children ranging from ages 11 to 21. He resides with his wife and their family in West Palm Beach, Florida.