Born in Guangzhou in 1929, Koo Mei moved to Hong Kong in 1950 and started studying traditional Chinese painting under Zhao Shao’ang (1905-1998) in the early 1960s. She later studied with Hu Nianzu (b. 1927) in Taiwan and Lui Shou Kwan (1919-1975) in Hong Kong. Having had a successful career as an actress and singer, she devoted herself to painting full-time in 1970 and won the Hong Kong Urban Council Fine Art Award in 1977. After relocating to Vancouver in the mid-1980s, Koo became inspired by the grandeur and beauty of the Canadian landscape. A skilled landscapist, she often depicts snow-capped mountains and rugged rock formations steeped in mist and clouds, displaying a subtle gradation of ink tones and colour washes. Delicate layers of ink and colour create a sense of movement reflecting the mood of mountains, suggesting a sense of infinite vastness.