David's grandfather, Ernest "Mooney" Warther was a noted carver of model steam engines, also in wood and ivory. When David was a child, he received a great deal of artistic encouragement from his grandfather, who was a central and colorful figure in his family. In turn, Ernest's grandfather was a cabinet maker/woodcarver in Switzerland in the early- to mid-1800s. David's father, a noted knifemaker, was able to teach to his son, use of tools & closely-held family carving techniques. David's concept of carving "The History of the Ship" sprouted from his grandfathers' lifelong project of carving "The History of the Steam Engine".
Initially, David’s carved ships lacked scale, accuracy, and intricate parts. At age 17, he started a true-scale replica of the three masted Coast Guard Training bark "Eagle", based on blueprints and technical drawings obtained from the Coast Guard Academy. The "Eagle" took over a year to complete, and was fashioned of walnut wood, ebony wood, ivory, & abalone pearl. By his early 20s, David's goal of carving the history of the ship quickly took shape, and he soon found himself carving ships from ancient Egypt to the modern times. He decided his future works would be in solid ivory, with scrimshaw used to detail deck planking, doors, windows and other details, a technique yet unique to David. Originally, his solid ivory carvings exhibited only a bit of color, such as decks dyed brown like natural wood decking, or a red tiled cabin roof on an ancient ship. Now David prefers the natural colors of ivory and black ebony, for which his carvings are known.
