Kia ora,

I’m Rachel Lee a South Korea born Kiwi artist based in Aotearoa New Zealand.

My work is inspired by New Zealand’s natural world its quiet strength, rhythm, and life beneath the surface. While I draw many elements of nature, I find myself returning to fish again and again.

People often ask how I found my way here. There isn’t a single moment or decision just a series of small, honest turns that slowly shaped what I do now.

I moved to New Zealand with my family over twenty years ago as a teenager who barely spoke English and felt more comfortable observing than speaking. I didn’t stand out. I spent my lunch breaks reading comic books and drawing, using images as my way of understanding the world. Art became my language early on.

That instinct led me to study at Elam School of Fine Arts, and later into freelance illustration. Still curious about characters and imagined worlds, I spent time in South Korea working as a game character designer in the video game industry. Eventually, life guided me back to New Zealand, where I began again building both a family and a practice.

My husband Sean, who loves fishing and diving, often spoke about the ocean as if it were another universe. Through his stories, marine life became something more than a subject it felt alive, complex, and full of character. One day, he asked me to draw a snapper. I began with a simple sketch, and from there, the world quietly expanded.

Each species feels like a character. Each line holds movement, history, and presence.

My artworks are pieces of my life   shaped by time, emotion, and energy. I create with the hope that wherever these pieces go, they carry something good with them. A sense of calm, connection, or quiet strength. That intention lives beneath every line I draw.