ELLA Walton Richardson Fine Art is home to more than two dozen award-winning American, European and Asian artists. Their styles range from realistic to impressionistic to abstract.

Born in Shandong Province, China, Hongshu Lei’s relationship with fine art painting began in her childhood when her parents immersed her in the art world. Although her path toward becoming an artist was a winding one, those initial stories of artists and their masterpieces maintained her attraction to painting and she eventually pursued a Master of Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In the 2018 Spring Show at the Academy of Art University, her paintings Secret and Waiting won the First and Third Award in figurative paintings respectively, and A Moment won the First Award in still life paintings. In the 2019 Spring Show, her painting Break won the First Award in Figurative paintings and Coincidence won the First Award in still life paintings.

Describing her work, Hongshu says: “I like to paint people because people are so complicated; inside each one is a unique universe that presents endless visual opportunities. I believe that paying attention  to those true feelings helps me open doors to a spiritual  self-discovery.”