Youji (Patrick) Li was born in China, where he trained as an engineer - a profession that would take him to remote corners of the world, including expeditions to Greenland. These early travels instilled in him a deep appreciation for dramatic landscapes and the interplay of light across vast, untamed terrain.

In 1998, Youji immigrated to New Zealand with his family, embarking on a new chapter as an entrepreneur alongside his wife. Yet throughout the demands of business, his passion for art remained constant - a thread connecting his past to his present. Rooted in the classical discipline of Chinese calligraphy, his artistic sensibilities evolved to embrace the sweeping landscapes that surrounded him in his adopted homeland.

Today, Youji works from his studio in Auckland, where he paints full time. His oil paintings reflect a life shaped by two cultures and countless journeys - from the misty peaks of alpine ranges to the quiet intimacy of coastal shores. His brushwork carries the precision of his engineering background and the fluidity of his calligraphic training, resulting in landscapes that balance atmospheric grandeur with careful, considered detail.

When not at the easel, Youji tends to his garden - another form of cultivation that informs his deep connection to the natural world.