David Simmons
Email: dsimmonsart@gmail.com
Phone: 319-241-3473
David Simmons is a self-taught artist. Born in 1968 in Iowa City, Iowa, David took to art early on. Throughout his childhood, David developed an appreciation for animals and wildlife. He would often take walks and just observe nature, sketching the things he encountered.
David Simmons grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated in 1987 from Jefferson High School. David went to the University of Iowa his freshman year. In 1989, he joined the United States Army which took him to Texas and the Middle East to serve in Operation Desert Storm. While serving in the military, David was part of the All-Army Wrestling Team. In 1996 David was chosen to be one of the local heroes to run the torch through Iowa for the Olympics.
After active duty he went to Coe College and earned a BA in Biology. At Coe, David competed in wrestling. A two-time All-American, David became the first recipient of the National Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for the Male Student-Athlete of the Year. After receiving his BA he became a science teacher in Cedar Rapids while working on his Master’s of Arts in Teaching, which he completed in May of 1999. He also served in the Army National Guard from 1992 to 1997.
Currently David is out of the teaching profession and is focusing his efforts on his artwork.
He started doing pencil portraits to give as gifts when he was in the US Army, and after years of artistic expression it was clear that David’s life would be centered upon his passion for art. He started using pastels in 2002, and David is now focusing on his art as a profession.
He has since switched to pastel as his current medium of choice, but he is exploring different mediums such as oil and acrylic painting and airbrushing. His background in biology and love of animals has drawn him to focus the majority of his art in the wildlife genre; however he also does commission portrait work and other commission pieces.
