A long-time New Yorker, Dale Payson attended the School of Visual Arts in New York over a ten-year span in the 1960s. She returned as an instructor in the early 1980s before moving on to freelance work in display design and book illustration. Her illustrations are found in more than twenty-five children's books. Her images are delicate in color and composition, with a softness that reflects their natural subject matter.

Payson's paintings have been exhibited in a number of galleries throughout the United States. Collectors include Nabisco and the University of Minnesota.