If You Don’t Know Duvall Winns, It’s Time To Change That
Duvall Winns
Duvall is a contemporary artist based here in Greenville, SC, represented by Devinci House, a nomadic art gallery.
Most known for his gorgeous face and electric art series, Yellow Man, Winns shares the story of how such a figure came to be.
Behind The Series
Yellow Man dates back to high school. Duvall had always been drawn to art, but struggled to process his emotions, experiencing intense ups and downs and night terrors—haunted by this character.
Tall, fair-skinned, bald, and completely silent. (Dream guy.) The man never spoke, just chased him.
One morning, Duvall woke up and decided to paint him. That single act changed everything.
What started as a nightmare became an obsession. He gave the figure a wife (me), kids, entire worlds inside his sketchbooks. Suddenly, the night terrors stopped.
“In some ways,” Duvall reflects, “I think he was my inner voice, helping me confront and process what I was feeling inside.”
The Evolution of Yellow Man
As he grew older, Duvall realized Yellow Man wasn’t just personal—he was universal.
The character became a way to explore the human condition and how emotions shape the way we process culture, politics, and identity.
Through Yellow Man, he started having deeper conversations—with himself and with others—about how to express emotion through art.
What does sadness look like? How do you paint lust? How do you visualize wrath?
He wanted to create artwork that anyone, regardless of background or lifestyle, could see themselves in.
So, Why Yellow?
Duvall needed a character that wasn’t tied to nationality, culture, religion, or politics.
Blue felt too melancholy.
Red was too aggressive.
Yellow was electric. It had energy but no strong emotional association, making it the perfect canvas.
Pushing the Boundaries
The more Winns works within the Yellow Man series, the more he challenges himself to communicate raw emotion with relevance and artistry.
He places the character in exaggerated, sometimes absurd, situations—stretching the limits of what a feeling can look like.
Duvall’s Favorite Piece
On the surface, Duvall is many things: put-together, charming, fun, and attractive, but admits that even in a crowded room, he deals with the same emotions that average-looking people do— loneliness and frustration.
"Sometimes you have a feeling that has nothing to do with your reality—you just see your reality differently."
His (and my) favorite piece, Yellow Man #9, taught him how to translate his emotional tension into symbolism.
At the center of the artwork is Duvall’s likeness, surrounded by two hawks—commonly known as messenger birds in Greek mythology.
“They’re pulling me out of the void of darkness,” he explains.
One is named Cynthia, after his mother, the other Cole, after a close friend. He imagined the hawks like something out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, pecking at him, pushing him forward, leading him toward the light.
This work has been his most impactful yet—sparking necessary conversations about what it means to see yourself beyond your worst thoughts.
Where To Find His Work
You can find Duvall’s work at Devinci House, by appointment only: 101 Augusta Street, Greenville, SC.
Follow @devincihouse to be notified of their next public event.