My Story
David Neal McPhee - Painting Where Land Meets Sea
I'm an award-winning watercolor artist based in Melbourne, Florida, and a member of the American Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society, North American Watercolor Society, and Brevard Watercolor Society.
In 2007, after two Army tours in Iraq and seven years working alongside USAID in Afghanistan and Africa, I picked up a brush to process what I'd been through. I started gifting the paintings to friends and family, and by 2013 I'd opened an Etsy shop under the name Little River Artworks — the beginning of what's grown into a full-time pursuit.
I grew up lobstering on the Maine coast, and it still shapes everything I paint — the boats, the gear, the working waterfront, the quiet character of a place built by hard work and tide. My work is currently on display at Starry Night Gallery in Daytona Beach, where I presented my solo exhibition, Time and Tide, and I participate regularly in juried festivals across Florida's Space Coast.
An Important Cause
I am strongly committed to supporting my fellow veterans and organizations that support veteran causes — especially addressing veteran homelessness and helping veterans receive the care they've earned and deserve. As a means of assisting these worthy causes, I donate 10% of all gross revenue to organizations that effectively support them. This support is made possible through the continued acquisition of original works and limited editions by collectors across the country.
Recognition & Exhibitions
I have been blessed to have my work accepted into juried shows across Florida's Space Coast. In 2024 I received the Best Live Demonstration award at the Eau Gallie Arts Festival. In 2026 On Watch — a watercolor painted on a six-foot surfboard — received an Award for Excellence at the 41st Annual Melbourne Fine Art Festival, and Third Place at the Sebastian Fine Arts Show. I also held a solo exhibition — Time and Tide — at the Starry Night Gallery in Daytona Beach in May 2026, with several pieces remaining on display there.
I'm genuinely grateful for the recognition. More than anything it tells me the work is reaching people, which is what matters most.
My Authentic Approach to Art - Experiential Watercolor
I strive to capture the experience of the scenes in each piece of my artwork. By learning through painting outdoors, I continue to develop my palette and technique using pigments that mix colors that are true to that scene. Rather than abstracting my style, I focus on capturing my own interpretation of the authentic beauty of the people and places reflected in each painting. I am working to build my own sense of an authentic style that captures my experience and perspective in that moment in time. I want people to see the beauty and the truth of a landscape or seascape, so that the viewer can experience that genuine feeling of the subject in that moment.
The Inspiration Behind my Art
My work is deeply shaped by growing up lobstering on the Maine coast — an experience that instilled a lasting connection to the working waterfront and the communities built around it.
I am drawn to the character of these places: the boats, the harbors, and the people whose lives are tied to the rhythms of the water. These environments carry a quiet strength — shaped not by perfection, but by time, use, and endurance.
I often find myself painting subjects that are not only beautiful, but weathered — marked by years of exposure, work, and wear. There is something enduring in that. The signs of strain, of time passing — these are not flaws, but part of what gives a place or object its presence and meaning.
That same idea shows up everywhere I've painted since — the marks time leaves behind hold a kind of beauty that goes beyond the surface.
That understanding has stayed with me across different landscapes and places, where similar relationships between land, sea, and community continue to emerge. It is this sense of presence — shaped by time and lived experience — that I carry into each painting.