My Story
David Neal McPhee - Independent Artist
In 2007 after two Army tours in Iraq and another seven years in Afghanistan working for US Agency for International Development projects, I began my journey painting in watercolor as a means of processing my experiences. I soon began gifting my artwork to friends and family. As I continued working to develop my skills drawing and painting, I opened an Etsy shop in 2013, and subsequent website in 2020 that can be found here at www.davidnealmcphee.com.
My work is currently on display at the Starry Night Gallery in Daytona Beach, Florida, where I will be presenting a solo exhibition. I also participate regularly in regional fine art festivals along Florida’s Space Coast, where I have received recognition for my work.
Original paintings are held in private collections across the United States. I release limited edition prints only after the original work has been acquired, allowing each piece to first exist as a one-of-a-kind painting before becoming more widely available.
An Important Cause
I am strongly committed to supporting my fellow veterans and organizations that support veteran causes – especially addressing veteran homelessness and assisting veterans to receive the care assistance they have 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.
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.
In many ways, that perspective reflects something more universal. The things we carry — the marks left by time and experience — 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.
An Authentic Approach to Art
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. From watercolor paintings of boats on the water to acrylic and oil prints of the night sky, 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.
David Neal McPhee - Independent Artist
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.
