The artist was born in Sticker, near St Austell in Cornwall, growing up on his parents' farm and and proceeding to study at the Falmouth School of Art (1962-3), Birmingham School of Art (1963-66) and in London at the Royal College of Art. The most comprehensive coverage of his remarkable career in sculpture, drawing, painting and photography will be found on multiple websites.

He has been a runner-up for the Turner Prize in Britain (1992), and exhibits in major galleries and exhibitions all over the world. His work is catalogued in many famous gallery collections including the Tate Gallery, the Kunsthalle, Hamburg and in Paris. His solo shows and exhibition record are included on www.geringlopez.com/artists/david-tremlett . Amongst native Cornish artists, he is rightly recognised as one of the most prominent.

Commissioned by the Tate Britain, Tremlett is now in the process of making a major wall drawing in the Manton staircase of The Tate Britain in London.  This drawing will extend over the period from September 2011 (past) through to the end of December 2016, and the work is being shown on video link Tate Shots: David Tremlett, The Manton Staircase.