BIOGRAPHY

Joseph A. Henseler was born in 1971 in Rota, Spain, into a U.S. Navy family. He grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where his passion for the arts emerged early at the age of 6, through drawing, drumming, and poetry. At 14, he joined his high school’s marching, concert, and jazz bands. In 1987, he was selected to tour Europe with the Sound of America Honor Band, sparking a lifelong fascination with architecture, design, and cultural expression.

After this experience, he enrolled in two college-level courses while on tour, which resulted in him writing a paper comparing European and American architecture based on his observations from the tour. He also enrolled in technical drawing and art classes.

Joseph studied architecture at Ball State University, where he spent seven years exploring the intersection of design and lived experience. His thesis, Art and Architecture – The Value of Placemaking, became a built project in the Indiana woods, constructed from earth, straw, and stone. During this time, he also began painting, writing poetry, and experimenting with materials, ultimately producing his first abstract paintings, sculptures, and building models for academic presentation and eventually for money, including a wood and plaster model permanently displayed at Yeshiva University in NYC.

In 1996, Joseph moved to Julian, California, and soon began working in the art studio of renowned artist James Hubbelland the architecture office of Drew Hubbell. These years marked a turning point: immersed in a working studio environment, Joseph learned sculpture, stained glass, tile mosaic, blacksmithing, ceramics, and metalwork. He traveled extensively, documented his experiences through photography and journaling, and produced a wide range of multidisciplinary artworks.

Following the 2003 Cedar Fire, Joseph helped design and construct an off-grid, fire-resistive home in Cuyamaca, CA—later featured in an award-winning documentary on sustainable design. In 2005, he moved to San Diego, where he taught studio design at the Newschool of Architecture and stained glass at the Art Academy of San Diego. He became a licensed contractor and founded DUENDE DNC Inc., designing and building residential projects with integrated art for over a decade.

After closing DUENDE in 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Joseph recommitted to his path as a fine artist. He now works from his studio in Kearny Mesa and is a member of the Visual Arts Association (London). His current focus is reviving and exhibiting past work while creating new pieces that reflect the depth of a life lived through—and for—art.