artists BIO

David Phelps

Growing up on a family farm in California, David attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse on Roberts Island. His teacher, Mrs. MacIntosh, taught him from first grade through eighth.

A self-taught oil painter and owner of a neighboring farm, Katie Feck, introduced David to the concept of “Art.” She and Mrs. MacIntosh encouraged David to explore his artistic talent from a young age.

After graduating Humboldt State University with a BA in Ceramics, David moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 1980 to attend graduate school. In 1984, he received his MFA in sculpture. A year later, he was awarded a regional NEA Fellowship and a six-month residency in the Kohler Arts/Industry program in Wisconsin. After Kohler, he received his first large-scale commission from Triad Development Co. in Knoxville, Tennessee. In the late 1990’s, David installed (5) large-scale sculptures entitled "Desert Wildlife" at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, Gate D Terminal. His most recent large-scale commissions have gone to Minneapolis, Kansas City, Tulsa, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in OKC.

Private collectors of David’s work include Burt Reynolds, Connie Sellecca, John Tesh, Barbie Benton and her husband George Gradow. His works are represented in many other public and private collections across the United States, as well as in Europe, Canada, Mexico, and South America.

David shares his life with wife Patty. When not spending time with Patty or working in the studio, David can usually be found riding his old motorcycle, or practicing yoga.

“The imagery of my figurative bronze sculpture is rooted in my early years growing up on the family farm on Roberts Island in the California Delta. Surrounded by water and threatened by drought I was unknowingly developing my lifelong aesthetic foundation. My figurative bronzes, ranging up to three times life-size, appear to emerge from the ground. They are serenely contemplative, and each piece is imbued with a dry, subtle sense of humor.”