David Hagan was born in 1943 in the small Country town of Murwillumbah in New South Wales, Australia.  He grew up in a subtropical area of beautiful beaches and rainforests.  While at high school he painted numerous watercolors and pastels of the lovely environment that surrounded him.  

He graduated from Newcastle Teacher's College in 1962 and taught in high schools until 1967.  Wanting a change in lifestyle, he traveled to Papua New Guinea, where he managed coconut plantations and taught in vocational centers.  During his stay, the lush tropical landscape inspired him to capture the sunsets and island scenes in watercolor.

On his return to Australia in 1974 he began painting professionally in watercolors. His subject matter was mainly floral and street scenes.  He had  a joint exhibition with his brothers Robert and John in 1975 in Sydney, Australia.  This proved to be very successful.

In 1976, David began painting in oils, finding it less restrictive than watercolors.  After a number of years he developed certain techniques in the treatment of light.  He concentrated mainly on beach scenes and country scenes.   Since then, David has sold more than one thousand paintings and has exhibited in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and the Gold Coast.  In 1991 he advertised a six-week instructional painting course which was so popular it lasted for three years.

David moved to California in 1997 and was impressed with the watercolors he saw in California and Colorado galleries.  He tried watercolor again and produced "...watercolors painted like oils."  His subject matter is again beach scenes, in which David shows his mastery of light and atmosphere.  He also depicts the country life of cowboys, their animals, and life in the great American west.