Chimayo Trading Navajo Rugs Pueblo Pottery Fine Art12.30.23 David Leffel

As we walk down the streets and in the shops and galleries of Taos, we may be rubbing elbows with our very own version of Merlin. He has been described as a magician, an illusionist, and a living master. He can make objects appear with a wave of his hand, summon spirits and create other dimensions. He is the world recognized master painter: David Leffel.

Born in Brooklyn in 1931, young Leffel was to spend most of his childhood battling the effects of a serious bone disease. During his many years of confinement, he discovered a natural ability to draw and competed with the other boys in the hospital ward, once to see who could make the best portrait of Joe DiMaggio! He recalls that when his parents brought art supplies to encourage his obvious talent, it was the scent of a kneaded eraser, the smell of fresh paper, the wooden pencils and charcoal that he remembered. When he speaks today about how he loves the smell of the oil paints in his studio, you get the feeling there is still a little boy inside, appreciating the smallest, most subtle aspects of his incredible life and who already understands that there is no light without the dark.

Leffel’s work speaks to the nature of paint itself and what an artist can make it do. In the turn of a painted cheek, the light seems to bend and bounce on the topography of the face. In another passage, the paint may absorb light like a cloak. He conveys as much information as possible in the simplest way imaginable, or as David describes it, “by finding the elegant solution”.

Chimayo Trading is honored to show two portraits by Leffel. One portrays his dear friend Al Handell, a prominent painter in Santa Fe with whom he shared a studio in New York early in his career. David had tried jobs in the design field with regular hours, but as he says, “I had a hard time returning from lunch.” Luckily for us, he decided to pursue painting. Sherrie McGraw describes the studio he shared with Al with burnt brick walls, high ceilings and large north facing windows. Al was the more experienced of the two and one day, assessing David’s work, he said, “You think you’re good…but you’ll never be as good as me.” Years later, David was a judge at an art show and awarded Al first prize. I am sure that they laughed about that with Al and his wife over dinner through the years and Al appears in the documentary: “David A. Leffel, An American Master” just released.