Born in West Yorkshire, England n 1964, David immigrated to Canada in 1977. In 1985 and 1986 he studied Graphic Design at George Brown College, then embarked upon a career in commercial art. He freelanced as a designer for two years and created book cover illustrations for several major publishing companies, among them, Penguin and Viking Press. Despite early successes, Ward left the world of commercial art behind in October 1988, when he moved to the artist colony of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, to concentrate on his own art full-time.

The artist's long career has been shaped by his extensive travels. He is known primarily for painting the more remote corners of North America, from the American Southwest and the Canadian Arctic to the windswept coastline of British Columbia and maritime outposts in eastern Canada. Today, his paintings depict a much wider range of subjects and often explore mythological themes.

In late 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint selected one of David's Arctic landscape designs for a limited series of one kilogram gold and silver investment coins. These were among the first in a series of large format coins, which included The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, by Bill Reid. Although David's paintings depict a wide range of subjects, the Arctic has been a major theme since 1990.

His work can be found in numerous private, corporate and public collections, including the Gail Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea, the Vancouver Maritime Museum, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John's Newfoundland, the Manx National Gallery on the Isle of Man, the Government of Ontario Art Collection, Crown Collection and offices of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Governor General of Canada.