David lives in the Northern Highlands region of Wisconsin, home to giant pines and hemlocks, eagles, wolves, and loons - and his artist wife and golden retriever. 

​He began his artistic journey studying East Asian literature, art, and religions at Stanford, becoming a professor at Guilford College, a Quaker college in North Carolina. There he taught courses on Chinese religion and aesthetics, Japanese religion and literature, and American nature writing.

In 2003 he moved to Wisconsin where he became Director of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. While building the program, he taught environmental ethics, nature writing, climate change, and field studies.

Retiring in 2015, he moved up to the Northwoods, where he hikes, snowshoes, kayaks,  and photographs the Deep North.

​In addition to photography, he spends much of his time enveloped in art, especially landscape painting both Western and East Asian.