Mad Monk Art, Palm Coast, FL
Enamored by the American Dream, C. C. Lee (Chen Chin Lee), immigrated from Taiwan to the United States in 1970 while working as an engineer on a cargo ship. In New York City, he saw his passion for the arts transformed from a dream to a possibility. Using his natural abilities for quick handiwork and creative thinking, Lee began his new life with a block of clay and began creating delicate flower pins to sell on the streets of Manhattan. When he found the love of his life, Shiu Ping, he began to extend his porcelain jewelry to earrings, and modern wearables and went from selling his wares outside of Macy’s to the jewelry counters inside the store and galleries and boutiques all over the city. But it was when he accidently stumbled upon an outdoor art festival that he saw where his future lay. Years later, he and his family moved to Palm Coast, FL where he created his distinct line of clay tiles with his wife and assortment of hand built whimsical clay sculptures and where he and his wife continue to do so today.