ArtLee's love of bikes... From the moment ArtLee first swung

ArtLee’s motorcycling story began at age six on an MR50. He showed an immediate, uncommon talent and rode relentlessly—often practicing until darkness forced him to stop. The older kids in his neighborhood quickly recognized his ability and began handing him their full-size bikes, not to ride themselves, but to watch ArtLee do things they couldn’t.

Even as a kid, his riding was creative and fearless. He’d lay the bike over in fourth gear through deep sand, throwing a towering “dirt curtain” from the front tire. By around age ten, that front-end control earned him appearances in several dirt bike magazines. Years later, as an adult, he would go on to record a confirmed 172-foot jump at Jaceland.

At sixteen, ArtLee got his first street bike—a Hurricane 600—and from that moment on, the path was set. The rest, as they say, was history.

After a decade of dirt bike riding as a kid, Lee stepped into the big leagues. He relocated to Atlanta—at the time a hotbed of elite road racers. His tenacity, relentless work ethic, and outright speed earned him acceptance into their demanding training ranks.

Among the first major factory Superbike riders Lee trained with was Mike Smith, a rider of exceptional talent. Together, Mike and Lee pushed creative cross-training to extremes, riding anything with two wheels. They modified mountain bikes with massive slick tires and spent countless hours in parking lots refining balance and control—eventually dragging handlebars and sliding the front end for over 100 feet.

Lee was soon taken under the wing of legendary racer and commentator David Sadowski. David used Lee as a proving ground for his riding school curriculum, drilling him relentlessly on the subtle, critical skills—especially proper trail braking—that separate good riders from great ones.

Around the same time, Lee and Scott Russell began motocross and mountain biking together—literally hundreds of days of riding that Lee describes as magical. That period accelerated his development and earned him respect among the sport’s elite.

Lee ultimately chose the path of a professional artist rather than a professional racer. Freddie Spencer trained Lee and brought his lap times to within three-tenths of a second of Freddie’s own fastest pace—an achievement that drew the attention and respect of the Grand Prix riders sharing the track.

ArtLee proudly claims the titles of elbow dragger, stoppie guru, and big-air motocrosser. To him, riding a motorcycle remains his number one art form—even above painting.

Among ArtLee's earliest clients were NASCAR teams, setting the foundation for a career that would soon intersect with the highest levels of motorsports marketing.

At just twenty years old, Lee secured a presentation with RJ Reynolds Sports Marketing president Jeff Byrd. He presented his vision for how RJR could strategically enter motorcycle road racing Nationally. Byrd was immediately impressed and brought in his senior marketing specialists, Curtis Gray and Mark Reeves.

That meeting led directly to the creation of the Camel motorcycle racing team in 1990—an initiative shaped in part by the insight of a young artist with deep roots in the sport.

Fortune favored the moment. Miguel Duhamel won the very first race for the team, capturing victory at the Daytona 200 aboard the legendary Honda RC30. In response, Camel commissioned Lee to create a commemorative painting and limited-edition print series honoring the historic win. The prints quickly sold out and are now considered priceless by collectors.

For decades afterward, Lee would continue to intertwine his art with motorsports—helping market, document, and preserve racing history around the world through paint, print, and storytelling.