David William Zuck was born March 27, 1944 at Evansville, Indiana. His parents, Robert Karl and Florence Lidia McEnally Zuck moved shortly therafter to Madison, New Jersey where they cooperatively founded the Botany Department at Drew University in 1945. Both of his parents had a deep love of things natural and were environmentalists before the term was coined.They were instrumental in saving the Great Swamp of north central New Jersey from becoming a huge jet port for New York City and preserving it as a park. David's parents fostered a special appreciation of nature in their children at an early age, often taking them on field trips along with their students from Drew. So, in spite of living, as a child, in a bedroom town to the "Big Apple" David was always yearning for the sweetness of more bucolic surroundings. In the days of his youth there were still beautiful and accessible areas within hiking distance of his house and he spent many an hour fishing and musing at "Silver Lake," a man made impoundment with a beautiful rock dam, or following streams as far as he could through the woods while examining minutely the creatures living therein.
The artist's father was an accomplished pastel painter and would sometimes take the family on excursions where he practiced his craft. Thus David was taught the value of art as an expression of love for creation in its natural state. Although he was encouraged to appreciate art by his parents, it was not until his second year at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania that David discovered an affinity for oil painting. This school offered only one studio course in this or any other medium and it was taught by a non faculty member in the evening. The teacher was amazed at how quickly the artist took to the medium, and with this encouragement David decided to transfer to a school which had a real art department. His choices were limited to schools participating in the Faculty Children's Tuition exchange program connected with Drew University where his parents taught. The school of choice was the American University in Washington D.C. which had an Art faculty of practicing artists who were very serious about painting and painterliness. To be in Washington D.C. in the turbulent 60's (1965-67) was very distracting but the aspiring artist became well acquainted with the substance of real painting both by the teaching faculty and the many fine museums in this town. David met his future wife Sally DiGiacomo, a fellow student and talented artist in her own right, at A.U., and the couple were married shortly after his graduation in June, 1967.
In 1969 the Artist and his wife moved the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, specifically to Bethia where David's Aunt Margaret owned what remained of the farm where his mother was born, now about fifty acres. First, the couple rented a lovely cottage in the woods called "Greenways" which was adjacent to 450 acres belonging to elderly cousins, the Alerdices. and so it seemed that the artist had realized a dream of being close to an unspoiled forest with a lovely stream winding through it. And it was wonderful, giving the him the opportunity to paint inspiring subject matter en plein air, right beyond his doorstep. This tract has subsequently been developed into a dense subdivision called Deer Run (they ran the deer away). Before that happened David and his wife were invited (against Bob Dylan's advice) to live with his aunt(Maggie) who was well advanced in years and needed assistance during her declining years. Upon her death at age 92 the couple inherited the farm where they still reside, though the property is now an oasis sur- rounded by subdivisions. The close proximity to Richmond allowed Sally to finish her degree in art at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the couple were in a number of group shows in the metro area including D.C.
It was while getting a painting of Swift Creek framed at "The Framer's Workshop", a business which provided custom frames for the artist to install himself on location, that David discovered, or rather was discovered by the corporate market for fine paintings. The owner's of this establishment, Lois and Dan Marsho, had been commissioned to find a centerpiece for the newly redecorated Richmond Retail Merchant's Assn. headquarters. So when Lois saw my painting of Swift Creek, she knew it was the perfect piece for this purpose. The money paid was, at the time substantially more than the Artist had heretofore received. So through the Agency of Lois and Dan's sister establishment "The Lodan Gallery" that David's work started becoming known to corporate Richmond; the following list enumerates a highlight of the corporate collections known to the artist, some of which, especially banks have changed names since.:Capitol One financial Group, Media General, E.R. Carpenter Co., Philip Morris USA, Wheat First Securities, Cragie Inc., Dart Drug, Bank of America, Roanoke and Botetourt Telephone Co., Chesterfield Federal Credit Union, and The Hotel Roanoke. There are many others including many fine private collections in Richmond and Washington, D.C. where David is represented by the Foxhall gallery. He also has work on display at the Henry Clay Inn/Gallery at Ashland, Virginia. There are two galleries representing him in Deltaville, Virginia as well as an independent agent named Ginger Levit in Richmond , Virginia. David had three one man shows in Virginia over the last Year: M.C.V.Hospital, which maintains a special display area with displays changing monthly, St. Mary's Hospital, the second show, has the same showing arrangement. The Artist's most recent show was at The Henry Clay Inn and Gallery, for the months of February through April. There are several works rmaining at this establishment. M.C.V Hospital purchased two of David's works for their permanent collection.