David Maes Gallegos was born in Colorado. His family is Native American and has been for generations, in all its branches, direct and collateral. As long as he can remember he loved to draw.

In 1976, David received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree “With Distinction” winning two full tuition portfolio scholarships from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1976. At this time, he worked as the chromist for famed Antique Restorer Arlyn Petersen in San Francisco, delivering Objects de ’Art to many prominent San Francisco Patrons, where he privately viewed paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Bonnard, Mondrian, Rembrandt, privately viewing “Woman with a Hat” by Matisse with Elise Haas before the painting was donated to the San Francisco MOMA permanent collection. In 1979, David then received his Master of Arts degree from San Francisco State University, with painters Robert Bechtel and Richard McLean.

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David Maes Gallegos was given his first one-man show at Marshall – Myers Gallery in San Francisco in 1978. From 1978 to 1990, David had numerous solo and group museum and gallery exhibitions in Northern California. During this time, he also was invited to work with the Tamarind Lithographer, Ernest DeSoto at his Workshop in San Francisco, California.

In 1985-86 David produced five limited edition lithographs, including his 1984 Chicago Night: “No Defense Against Nuclear Weapons – Art for Peace” Lithograph. (2/2). Posters of this 9 plate Lithograph were sent to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. The START treaties followed a year later in 1985.

1980-95 was a time of extensive travel in the U.S. by the Artist who attended every major museum in the U.S.A., absorbing as many works of Classical, Realist, Impressionist, Post War Abstract Expressionism, Minimalist, Pop Art, and Conceptual Art as possible. A 1985 summer teaching internship at St. Anne’s Convent in Colorado inspired a series of works that were entered into the Interfaith Forum on Art, Religion and Architecture International Art competition, winning the Prestigious High Merit Award at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California, for his “St. Anne’s” series of 86’ x 120” Color field Abstractions. In 1985 the Artist formed “Spirit Art Studio” completing numerous Commissions for Corporate, Public and Private collections, Including; Landmark tower in Tokyo, Embassy Suites in Lake Tahoe, and Venture Capitalist firms in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

In 1990,  David was signed to a five-year contract to 1995, and again from 2000 to 2003, to paint for Zephyr Cove Publishing. The Artist traveled to Japan annually for exhibitions in Japan, including Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Sendai, Murioka and Fukuoka. By 1995, David had enough money to paint full time.

David Maes Gallegos Artwork has been featured in Architectural Digest, Artweek, The Encyclopedia of Living Artists, Art in America, among many News periodicals, from San Francisco to New York to Hawaii. He currently teaches and practices his Art in Kailua Kona, Hawaii where he is also known as “Kawika” or David in Hawaiian.