Dave, now 45, was raised on a cattle ranch in Cody, Wyoming. Crediting the public school systems and great teachers, Dave says he took an interest in art early on because of his 7th grade art teacher, Vic Larsen.

“A light just went on for me when I was exposed to art,” Dave says. “We would sculpt something out of wax then use the lost wax process to cast it in bronze. That process really fascinated and intrigued me to pursue a three dimensional form of art.”

Once word got out about Dave’s new passion for art, he became one of four recipients in the United States offered a grant to study anatomy and the bronze-making process with master craftsmen in Italy. Once there, he thrived, despite being the youngest participant by 10 or 15 years.

“I was like a big sponge that landed in Italy. You can’t help but be inspired when you’re in that kind of environment,” Dave says, crediting a lot of his talent and skill to the Italians. “The history there was incredible and the foundry was created by some of Italy’s finest craftsman.”

Dave stayed in Italy for two years, returning to America to work three years in a bronze foundry in Santa Fe. Friendships grew among acquaintances at the Art Institute for American Indians, and before long, the artist established relationships with the Native American families in South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Eventually the artist was adopted into the Red Elk family of the Sioux Tribe through friends Kevin and Ken Yellow Mountain.

“I grew up in Wyoming around Native Americans, but I didn’t have a full understanding of their culture until I was invited into their private lives,” Dave says.

Dave was chosen by the state of Wyoming and the Washakie family to sculpt a monument of Chief Washakie. Through research, Dave learned about the Shoshone warrior and peacemaker. Working closely with the committee and the family members, Dave unveiled the first sculpture in September 2000 in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Two additional castings of the monument were completed and placed at the Capital Rotunda in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and in front of the Tribal office at Fort Washakie.

Dave’s work is extensive – 10 major monuments in ten years. Some of his work includes a major monument installed at the University of Wyoming, and a second monument installed at Concordia University in Montreal. Two pieces, “Horse Thief” and “Buffalo Warrior,” are in the permanent collection in the Old Executive Office building at the White House Complex in Washington, D.C.

Dave was commissioned by the City of Santa Fe to depict Don Pedro de Peralta, and unveiled his 18 foot high and 22 foot long monument in September 1992. Later, at the Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso Downs, Dave’s monumental sculpture of eight horses running through a natural landscape – “Free Spirits at Noisy Water” – was installed, each component weighing 3,000 – 5,000 pounds.

In 1997, Dave premiered “Stronghearts,” the first bronze in a series of portrayals of Native American women. This bronze portrays a Sioux Mother and her baby son in a beaded cradle board on her back and her young daughter at her side.

Currently, Dave’s pieces “Bounty of Gray Hawk” and “Bear’s Nest” are on exhibit at the International Museum of Art in El Paso, Texas.

Dave created his own finishing studio and foundry in Ruidoso with 15 staff members trained to help with the production of his limited editions in bronze.

“I am fortunate to have great crafts people that have been working with me for as long as 15 years,” Dave says. “I seek people with a shared vision and commitment to quality.”

Along with the foundry, Dave owns Expressions in Bronze Gallery and Studio in Ruidoso and in Scottsdale, and has a studio in Sun Valley, Idaho.

No matter where Dave is, he focuses on his talent as a gift, always trying to find new ways to give back. To date, Dave and his wife, Molly, have provided scholarships for 35 Native American students at the University of Wyoming, funded from proceeds of select projects associated with the university.

Currently, Dave is working on several monuments and his newest masterwork, which will premiere in 2009.