Tommy Lei

I am a Los Angeles–based fine art photographer creating images that often transform into painted photographs—works that blur the line between photography and painting. My practice is rooted in themes of identity, memory, and place, using quiet, meditative imagery to invite pause, balance, and reflection.

Born in Hong Kong and raised Buddhist, I carry with me a sensitivity to overlooked moments of presence and the fluidity of time. These influences guide me to see photography as a form of meditation—capturing stillness in natural and urban environments, then layering painterly gestures that turn each photograph into something timeless and tactile.

My visual language is shaped by the Tang Dynasty poet-painter Wang Wei, alongside modern masters such as Fan Ho, Edward Hopper, Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Pierre Dmitrienko. With a background in psychology and years of global travel assignments, I create compositions that feel both intimate and expansive—offering viewers a sense of calm, harmony, and renewal.

My work is held in private and institutional collections, with a recent exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History. I am an ambassador for Canson Infinity, and my photographs have been featured in Architectural Digest, Ae...

Cornell University
Bachelors in Human Development
Minor in Digital Communications and Studio Art

Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, Burbank, CA - October 2025
Brand Art Center, Brand 53, Glendale, CA - August 2025
Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena CA - February 2025
Perimeter Gallery, Arts District, Los Angeles - December 2024
Carmel Photography Center, Carmel CA - April 2024
York Art Gallery, York UK - March 2024
The Degas Gallery, New Orleans LA - February 2024
Gallery 881, Vancouver BC - December 2023
Baldwin Avenue Gallery - Sierra Madre, CA - December 2023
Whites Fine Art Gallery, Montrose, CA - September 2023
SC7 Gallery, Pasadena, CA - August 2023
Runway, Playa Vista - April 2023
Showfields Brooklyn - December 2022
REALM Gallery - November 2022
NFT Liverpool Exhibit - July 2022
Praxis Gallery - The Streets, April 2022
Praxis Gallery - WORDS, WORDS, WORDS, May 2022
SuperRare - Monograma NFT Guardians Series, March 2022