Sookyi Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and earned her BFA from Hong-Ik University. She came to the US to continue her study and earned her MFA from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Upon her graduation, she continued her career as a full-time artist and worked as a faculty at the Academy of Art University, teaching drawing classes. Sookyi’s works have been included in many exhibitions, including Oil Painters of America's National Juried Exhibition and National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society's Best of America Exhibition. Her drawing, Bridget, was recently awarded the First Place in Drawing at the Portrait Society of America’s 2017 International Portrait Competition. Old masters and many contemporary artists have consistently influenced Sookyi's art. To her, a deep understanding of art is a lifelong mission, and painting is her way to appreciate life. Sookyi’s paintings are not only the representations of the outside world but also reflections of her inner self. By imagining stories about subjects and considering emotional reactions of viewers, Sookyi aims to go beyond the superficial representations and convey the characters of her subjects.