T.O. Duncan grew up in Okalahoma where he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He majored in Wildlife Management at Oklahoma State University. When he graduated, he went to work for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serving in a Seattle fishery research laboratory doing salmon research and also working summers in Alaska. While on assignment in Washington, D.C., he became friends with Bob Hines, a noted Fish and Wildlife Service artist.

T.O. transferred to Fayetteville, AR and then to Arkadelphia where he ultimately retired and enrolled in art classes at Henderson State University. Most of his work is related to scenic and wildlife settings, but he enjoys geometric art, sculptures using driftwood and small bird carvings. He is also a photographer and prints his photographs on cards. He carves and paints small decoy replicas and pins of various species of ducks. His work has been selected at a Delta Art Exhibition, at the Little Rock Art Center and the Texarkana Art Center Annual Show.