David was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1967. A 1989 graduate of St. Lawrence University with a BFA in Sculpture, David received an MFA from the Maryland institute in 1994. His family first brought him to Cape Cod early in his childhood for summer vacations. A lifelong fixation with fishing led David to various jobs on small commercial fishing boats in Massachusetts and Rhode Island after college and during graduate school. David became the owner/operator of the F/V Horse Mackerel in 2002. He fishes commercially for Bluefin tuna, striped bass and Spiny dogfish. When not fishing, David makes custom architectural metal projects. He lives in both Chatham, Massachusetts and Ridgefield, Connecticut.