Joyce Wellman is an American artist who specializes in painting and printmaking. Born in Brooklyn, she attended community college before earning a degree at the City College of New York. She would later earn two master's degree, one in education and one in art. She initially focused on printmaking, but later turned her focus to painting. She briefly worked as a teacher before spending a few years on sabbatical. During that time she worked on her art portfolio, receiving help by artists including Valerie Maynard.
In 1981, Wellman moved to Washington, D.C., and still resides there. She became friends with local artists, including Sam Gilliam, who taught her various techniques on how to improve her painting. From 1985 to the present day, Wellman's work has been displayed in many solo and group exhibitions at The Phillips Collection, Maryland Art Place, Kreeger Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, among others. In a review of one of her exhibitions, Mark Jenkins from The Washington Post said Wellman's paintings are "dense with references" and "elaborately textured."