David Felker was born in Spokane, WA, on July 6th, 1940 and passed away on December 31, 2020 from complications due to a stroke he suffered on September 1, 2020 and the Covid-19 virus. He grew up with his father Lionel, his stepmother Bess, and his older brother Terry. It was his father who taught him woodcarving and Bess who encouraged his natural artistic talent, both of which lay the groundwork for his future as an artist and art conservator.
After graduating from North Central High School in 1958, he worked as a salesman for a sporting goods store, bartender, roustabout for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus, and a draftsman for Kaiser Shipbuilding Company. David was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965, where he served as Sergeant in the Vietnam War, and was honorably discharged in 1967. After Vietnam, he devoted the rest of his life to “making a difference” and used the GI Bill to pursue his studies in art. In 1975 he earned B.A. degrees in Art History and Fine Art from Eastern Washington University, and in 1978 he achieved his MFA degree in Sculpture from Washington State University.
David enjoyed a rich life through his career as a sculptor, installation artist, teacher, artists’ advocate, gallery director, curator, and conservator. After obtaining his first teaching position at Chapman College, he connected with the best friends of his life through his work and adventures in Alaska. He is a permanent fixture in the history of the Visual Art Center of Alaska, the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage and Minneapolis, The 7 AM Group, Art-A-Whirl, and Kerf International Exhibits.
The most important thing to Dave was to connect people, to plant seeds for growth and to nurture the potential of life, energy, and creativity. Themes he returned to time and again both in life and work included metamorphosis, alchemy, mysticism, spirituality, shamanism, healing, the space-time continuum, fun and playful humor, experimentation, intuition, pushing boundaries, building bridges, communing with nature, friendship and, above all, love.
He is survived by his three children Natasha, Sean, and Matthieu, their mother Lois, his brother Terry, sister-in-law Dee, their children Jeff and Joanne and her son Dylan. Dave will be forever loved, always treasured, and deeply missed.