A painter in realist and luminist styles of 19th-century western frontier scenes, David Nordahl is especially interested in the culture of the Apache Indians and their confrontations with the United States military. He grew up as a farm boy in Minnesota, and by age 13 was earning money as an artist for his portraits of local townsfolk and for religious drawings. He also did silkscreen posters.

Nordahl moved to Minneapolis where, with a friend, he established a business of doing murals, wall coverings and fabrics. However, in 1973, he sold out to devote himself to his western easel painting featuring Apaches. He and his wife, Lori, settled in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. However, he bec...