David Leffel was born in New York City and graduated from Parsons School of Design while also attending Fordham University. Between 1959-1960 with a Merit Scholarship, he studied painting at the Art Students League of New York. Several years later, Leffel returned to the League as an instructor and in the next 25 years would leave an important legacy of influence with the thousands of students he taught.

David Leffel's works have been exhibited in major museums and private collections, and he has received three gold medals at the National Academy of Western Art, as well as a gold medal from the Hudson Valley Art Association and Allied Artists of America. Leffel has also been featured in a number of publications including American Artist Magazine, Artists of the Rockies and the Golden West, Southwest Art, American Artists of Renown, and American Society of Portrait Artists.