David Leffel

Teaches at Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art

Born in Brooklyn in 1931, the distinguished painter David A. Leffel spent eleven years of his childhood battling a bone disease in various hospitals.  He used this time to hone his drawing abilities. This passion eventually led him to enroll in Parsons School of Design, as well as Fordham University.  At the Art Students League of New York, he flourished under Frank Mason (see page __ for more on Mason) and ultimately taught there for 25 years.  In 1992 Leffel and his partner, the distinguished painter Sherrie McGraw, moved to Taos, where their studios overlook the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  Well-known to art students worldwide through his bestselling books and videos, Leffel conducts workshops throughout the country and recently launched his own annual awards program for excellence in painting.