“I am happiest when my work progresses from the almost realistic to the almost possible …” 

      A fascination with the natural world and the creative process has been central to a lifetime of art and adventures. During a career in education, I have been a wildlife photographer, documentary filmmaker, sculptor, woodworker, writer and painter. I am presently a full-time, home-schooled artist whose efforts have evolved over years of observation, experimentation and hard work. I use wood, metal and paint in a variety of styles, techniques and media to record life on an island on the outer edge of Penobscot Bay in the Gulf of Maine, with occasional forays into the worlds of freshwater birds and fish.  
     Twenty years of being part of a small island community has profoundly influenced my art, focusing it on what is close and observable - the fragility of coastal and island environments, the importance of clean water and the need to preserve unspoiled places. If you commit to a locale, closely observe it and learn what questions to ask, there is much a place can teach. For years I observed, asked questions and painted Matinicus Island during the warmer months and the watershed of the Delaware River in the winter. I continue to work in my island studio May through October, but since 2016 have spent the winters beside the St. George River in mid-coast Maine.  Much of my work has supported environmental and educational groups communicate their message, increase awareness of critical needs and raise funds for special projects. Through gallery shows and specific works my art has supported the Island Institute, OceansWide, the Matinicus Island School, the Tinicum Conservancy, Friends of the Upper Delaware River, the Georges River Land Trust and the Maine Seacoast Mission. 

I can be found working in HighWater Studio on the southern end of beautiful Matinicus Island most summer days and above Hyler Cove on the western bank of the St. George River during the winter. I welcome comments and questions through my website.

• HighWater Studio - Matinicus Island, ME - June - September - D Sears - New Work and paintings by island artists. Studio open by chance or appointment.
• Artemis Gallery Northeast Harbor, ME - Group Show opening July 15 - 28, 2021 and online

• Artemis Gallery Northeast Harbor, ME - Group Show opening July 23, 2020 and online starting in June
• Open Studio and Sale - Cushing - Artist's Open Studio Weekend - August 1st and 2nd

• Artemis Gallery Northeast Harbor, ME - Group Show

• “Sticks and Stones” - Cushing Historical Society Barn, Cushing, ME - Solo Show

• “Untitled” - SFA Gallery , Frenchtown, New Jersey - Two-Person Show

• "CONDON COVE - New Work” - HighWater Studio/Gallery, Matinicus, ME

• “WATERSHED” -  SFA Gallery, Frenchtown, New Jersey - Solo Show

• “LOCALS - Island Artists Group Show” - HighWater Studio/Gallery - Matinicus, ME

• “EDGES” – New Maine Work - Archipelago Fine Arts Gallery, Rockland, ME - Solo Show

• “Untitled" - Bucks County Commerce Center, Doylestown, PA - Solo Show

• “New Work” - Archipelago Fine Arts Gallery, Rockland, ME - Group Show

• “Change of Directions” - Center Bridge, PA - Solo Show
• Stover Mill Gallery, Erwinna, PA - Group Show
• "Environmental Art" - Graphic Imagining Gallery, Plumstead, PA - Group Show

• “New Work” - Mixed Media Gallery - Doylestown, Pennsylvania - Group Show

• River Run Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey - Group Show
• Mixed Media Gallery - Doylestown, Pennsylvania - Group Show

• Tinicum Arts Festival - Erwinna, Bucks County, PA - Honors for pastel - Group Show
• Stover Mill Gallery, Erwinna, Pennsylvania - Group Show
• Phillips Mill Fall Exhibition - New Hope, Pennsylvania -Group Show

2020

MaineBoats.com: The Website of the Coast - August, 2020 One Island Library on a Mission

Maine Home and Design - Art Maine Issue - 2020 Guide to Outstanding Maine Artists - February, 2020 February 2020 page 60

2019

Maine Home and Design - Art Maine Issue Annual Guide to Maine's Most Notable/Collectible Artists

Where the Magic Happens: Cushing Artists Open Their Studios -The Free Press

2019 Cushing Artists Open Studio Weekend Penobscot Bay Pilot

2018

Knox Village Soup - July 6, 2018

The Free Press

2017

Laura Bohn - Ways of Seeing - Pointed Leaf Press - 2017 - ISBN: 978-1-938461-401

New York Times - “What You Get for 2.2 Million - Bohn-Fiore Bucks County Property" -  July 5, 2017 

2015

Interior Design Home - Fall, 2015 

Maine Home+Design - May, 2015 - “The Canvas” 

2012

Island Journal - “David Sears: A Matinicus Artist Charts His Course", Carl Little - Island Institute

2009 - 2020

Island Reader- Anthology of Island Writing and Art - Maine Seacoast Mission

Contact Dave