Born in Manchester 1959 David Leyland studied art at Bolton Art College, followed by Rochdale Art College and then a Fine Art Degree course in painting and sculpture at Canterbury Art College. In 1982 David spent several months at the Cyprus School of Art teaching and painting. Since then he has worked in England and Wales and spent eight years in France where he also worked as a furniture designer/maker. David is now settled in Somerset, and has returned to his first love of fine art painting.

David uses contrasting marks and brushes to convey movement within his paintings, playing with negative and positive shapes. He defines and gives structure to his figures by the interplay of space and form. David̢۪s work is based mainly on the abstraction of figures and other subjects whilst keeping their figurative elements intact. He uses colour, tone and the play between figurative and abstract painting to create mood and character.

David̢۪s work can be seen in collections in France, America, Cyprus, England and Wales.