"To me, faces are important because they're the things you come across the most on a daily basis and they're the most overlooked," Joseph said. "When you come across my portrait painting, I hope that it enables you to just stop and soak it in and see yourself, allow it to be some kind of reflection."

You could say his artistic journey started when he was working in a sushi restaurant, waiting tables. "It was one of those days where I had a miserable shift and I just made an instant decision at that moment to just quit. I immediately went to the canvas, I immediately picked up a brush, and I just felt at home developing my painting technique."

The biggest inspiration came when Lee sold his first beautiful painting. "It was the greatest feeling," he said. "I remember [after] cashing that check, I was a little paranoid for two days, I didn't know if it's gonna go through or not... It was a confidence boost. And I think when you're starting off as an artist, that's all you really need."