Joyce Mayers English was born in New York City and studied at the Art Students League before earning her BFA fro Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and an MA in fine Art and Art Education from C.U.N.Y. While at Pratt, she was deeply influenced by her professors Gabriel Laderman, Leland Bell and Mercedes Matter. Laderman was known for championing figurative realism; Bell brought a dynamic syntheses of structure and color influenced by Cezanne and Matisse; and Matter, founder of the New York Studio School, emphasized rigorous drawing and the expressive possibilities of form and space.
Joyce taught in public schools for over 20 years, continuing to paint throughout her teaching career. Her work in inspired by the natural world and art history. Through painting, she investigates light, gesture, and the enduring presence of the visual world.
