I’m an oil painter based in San Francisco.

For more than twenty years, I worked in tech startups, where speed and constant motion were the norm. Over time, I began to notice that something felt off. Even while living in a place of immense natural beauty, I was often too busy to really see it. Painting became a way to slow down and pay attention again.

My work explores how attention shapes what we see, and how that changes our sense of connection. I return to subjects that are easy to overlook—a flower after rain, a bird sitting still—not to document them, but to understand what becomes visible when I stay with them longer.

I work primarily in oil, drawn to its ability to hold subtle shifts in color and light. My process often begins with photographs I take while walking or traveling, which I use as a starting point rather than a reference to replicate.

Since 2024, I have maintained a consistent studio practice, studying at Art School of SF Bay, Art Haus, and Nimbus Arts, along with online study through the New York Academy of Art.

San Francisco is where I live and work, and where my family’s story in America begins. That sense of place continues to shape how I see and what I return to in my work.

cat@artbycatlee.com