Lee is a native Californian, raised in Burbank, and graduated from UCLA with BS, MS and PhD degrees in engineering. He worked at Hughes Missile Systems in Canoga Park for 33 years and for ATK Missile Systems in Woodland Hills for 5 years. In his early career, he primarily designed radars for missile systems, and later he became a program manager.

Lee first took up watercolor painting in September, 2006 after retiring from ATK in 2004. He never attended art school but in retirement, he has taken watercolor painting classes from Dave Deyell and Pong Apinyavat. 

 Lee is a juried member of the Valley Watercolor Society and a member of the Westlake Village Art Guild. His talent has been recognized by winning several Honorable Mention awards from WVAG Members Shows.