David was drafted into the US Army in 1965 and served in Germany until 1968. When he returned home he began painting and carving full time. David received national recognition when his paintings and Kachina doll carvings were given multiple page coverage in the
Arizona Highways magazine of June 1971, a reference issue devoted entirely to the Kachinas, the Living Spirits of the Hopi. A group of Hopi artists, the Artist Hopid, was organized in 1972 by
Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswayma, and Neil David Sr. Their objectives included the use of their artistic talents to instill pride and identity in the Hopi, to educate Indian and non-Indian to the cultural values of the Hopi, and document Hopi history and events through the visual arts. In 1974 and 1975 the expanded membership of six exhibited at the
Heard Museum in Phoenix; the Tucson Art Center; Riverside Community College in Riverside, California; Museum of Man in San Diego; Taylor Art Museum in Colorado Springs; and the Flagstaff Art Museum. In 1976 the
National Endowment for the Arts and the Arizona Commission on the Arts provided a grant sending thirty-one of the groups paintings on a tour across the country. Patricia Broder's
Hopi Painting includes biographical essays of the Artist Hopid and details their exhibits and achievements. David's inseparable commingling of art and dedication to his Hopi culture give a rare opportunity to view elements of Hopi life without intruding on the society itself. His insight into his culture, and ability to capture realistic views of Hopi life, ceremonies, and dramatic Kachina dances on canvas and with his Kachina doll carvings have brought him wide acclaim and support for calling him "the Hopis' Norman Rockwell." David's informative paintings range from the Hopis' Kachina Fest Parade, a depiction of a great variety of Kachinas parading through the village to the Hopis' Comanche Dance centering on Comanche Warrior impersonators and the Koshare, to the non-Kachina Hopi Scalp Dancers. David is internationally recognized for his drawings and carvings of his icon the
Koshare, (Tewa or
Hano) clown.He speaks through the antics of his clown drawings, and is associated with the Koshare to a level summarized in a telephone conversation between author Zena Pearlstone and Neil David and published in the "About Face" book as part of plate 48:[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=096227772x "I along with my patrons see me as associated—even infatuated—with this clown [Koshare], which is the subject of so much of my work." Two of David's paintings were selected for the "About Face: Self-portraits by Native American, First Nations, and Inuit Artists" exhibit held at the Wheelwright Museum in
Santa Fe, New Mexico which was held from November 2005 through April 2006. Both paintings feature his signature piece, the Koshare as central to the topic along with David. The authors/guest curators of the exhibit and publications closing comments (on page 42) were: "the thought-provoking
Hopi Triple Self-Portrait, by artist Neil David Sr., which, we have come to think of as the signature image for this project, so many avenues does it explore." David lives and continues to create his painting and carving on the Hopi Reservation in Polacca on
First Mesa, Arizona. ) == Illustrations ==