Shawn Dell Joyce began her career as an artist’s apprentice in NY’s SoHo area in the 1980’s. Her entrepreneurial spirit called her North to the Hudson Valley, where she began teaching a series of plein air painting classes in 2000. Her classes became so popular that she hired other artists, and founded a plein air school with an Arts and Agricultural mission based on the historic Hudson River School.  The Wallkill River School of Art, a nonprofit arts organization with a mission of preserving agricultural history while creating economic opportunity for local artists brings cultural tourism to the Hudson Valley region through plein air painting workshops and events on local farms, historic sites and open spaces. Joyce has won many prestigious awards for plein air painting, and is a signature member of New York Plein Air Painters (NYPAP), and International Plein Air Painters (IPAP), and has been featured in many national newspapers and magazines like the New York Times and Plein Air Magazine. She has participated in many national exhibits and plein air festivals, and is represented by galleries in NY and Florida. She teaches workshops in pastel and plein air techniques across the country, and is included in collections in the Georges Pompidou Museum in France and the Museum of Modern Art in NY.