About David
David
Dunleavy uses his background as a scuba diver, videographer, and angler to
capture his passion and create exquisitely detailed ocean paintings.
Raised in Glenolden, Pennsylvania, David spent his summers in Cape May, New Jersey where he spent countless hours fishing with his father and friend Joe Loyko. His passion for wildlife and exploration of woodlands and the shore inspired his early pensile and watercolor fish, and whitetail deer pieces.
At age five, the movie Jaws served as David’s first major inspiration for marine wildlife art, igniting his obsession with sharks and the oceans. He began his quest to gather as much information on the ocean and creatures that live in it.
Dunleavy graduated from Interboro High School in 1988, winning several state art awards. In 1989, he attended Hussian School of Art, where he studied the airbrush technique that has brought him great success. To support himself during and after art school, Dunleavy worked in the construction business, simultaneously painting marine wildlife and backdrops for the famous New Years Philadelphia Mummers Parade.
The success of his first public endangered species mural in Folcroft, PA (1992) allowed Dunleavy to work full-time as an artist. The impact and exposure the mural demanded inspired him to paint murals around the world in order to help protect endangered species. Dunleavy worked tirelessly in the tri-state area and by 1995 had painted 30 such murals. At age 25, he was easily recognized as one of the top marine life artists.
The following year, Dunleavy opened his first one-man art gallery in Cape
May, at Congress Hall. The gallery’s success led to larger galleries in Cape May
and Stone Harbor. His original art now commands as much as $50,000.00 and have
sold for tens of thousands of dollars. His art can be seen at dive shows, gift
shops, resorts, galleries, on magazine and catalog covers, offered on limited
edition giclees, museum, aquariums and can be found on a wide variety of apparel
and gift products.