Born and raised in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dave Watkins is an abstract painter and muralist. He has his Associates Degree in Graphic Design and has spent many years in the signage and graphics industry. By day, a Facility Specialist for Downtown Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual, he helps maintain the organization’s large corporate art collection, site signage, and architectural drawings across multiple campuses. Since 2003, he has been painting and exhibiting his artworks, both locally and regionally. His work primarily features acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas, characterized by bold color fields, intricate linework, and dynamic brushstrokes. You can find his vibrant abstract works up six stories in the sky or down to the delicate complexity of collage for small paper studies. In 2020, he started taking his work public, undertaking numerous solo and collaborative mural projects in Milwaukee and nearby Chicago. When not painting in his home studio, Dave enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, children and his 1968 Chevy Van named "Art Vandelay". His work is represented by Bonfoey Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio.