David Harper Clemons was born in El Paso, Texas, and spent much of his life in Austin. His  early interests in the arts were inspired and encouraged by the craft work of his grandfather Alex Harper Jr., a custom stocksmith in San Antonio. Many mentors, including Deborah Roberts, graciously offered their expertise in guiding Clemons. 

Initially, Clemons began his undergraduate career attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, pursuing programming in Biology and Art. He attended the program for just under two years before returning to Austin to complete his BFA at the University of Texas in Austin, with a primary emphasis in painting. His focus shifted to object-making and ultimately, under Helen Shirk, he earned his MFA in Metalsmithing from San Diego State University in 2007. He then taught in the art department at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas for ten years. During eight of those years, he developed and headed the Metalsmithing and Jewelry Department.

Clemons presently lives and creates work in Penland, North Carolina. His work embraces the craft of metalsmithing and its collected history of techniques and objects. The resulting works rendered in metal, mixed media, and handmade artist books are vehicles to communicate ideas surrounding identity and social commentary, or forays into material and process-based work. Clemons has work included in the collections of the Arkansas Art Center, National Ornamental Metal Museum, Yale Contemporary Craft Collection, and the Renwick Gallery.