Biography
David Uhl was born in Toledo, Ohio on September 20, 1961. Early on David began creating amazing drawings and, by high school's end, had decided to pursue a career in art. He applied for, and won, the only full-ride scholarship to the Colorado Institute of Art offered to a high school senior in the U.S He was dissatisfied with the design programs the school offered, yet he excelled at the life drawing and illustration classes. Leaving school after one year, he focused his talents on commercial illustration, eventually forming David Uhl Illustration, an award-winning firm servicing many prominent clients such as FedEx, IBM, Coca-Cola and Time magazine.
Acquiring a motorcycle in 1988 and riding to Sturgis South Dakota, David saw first hand the culture of cycling enthusiasts. He entered the world of Harley-Davidson® apparel (t-shirt designs) with great success. Yet, after a time, David felt there was something missing, artistically.
In the beginning of 1996, after 20 years of producing drawings for commercial clients, David entered the world of oil painting. This radically changed everything. Developing his own unique style, he focused his attention around the turn of the century. In 1998 David conceived of a brand new, yet timeless avenue for Harley-Davidson art; museum quality oil paintings. Harley-Davidson, exhibiting nearly a century of history at the time, was the perfect match. David researched motorcycle imagery from the 1930s and '40s. This led to his first work; A Change in the Weather. He flew to Milwaukee to present the painting to Harley-Davidson executives. Over a hundred paintings later David feels he is still in the infancy of his painting career.
David's artwork is displayed throughout the world, and sought by serious art collectors and celebrities alike. Charles Osgood, of CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, referred to David as "The Norman Rockwell of Harley-Davidson artists".