Check Out Johnny Tong’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Tong.

Hi Johnny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello everyone, I’m Johnny Tong (MR.T), born and raised in Beijing, China—an oil painter and tattoo artist. I fell in love with drawing as a kid and, with my parents’ support, began studying with private art tutors. After an arts-focused high school and university where I trained in traditional painting and design, I became a UI designer. I studied web design in college, and after graduating I worked hard for years. The busy, monotonous office grind slowly dulled my urge to paint. Yet inside, a voice kept saying: I want to paint. I want freedom. I want to do what I love.

When I first arrived in Los Angeles, the sunlight felt like creative freedom. I soaked up both nature and culture. In college I continued studying painting while also learning hand-tooled leatherwork, including traveling to Sheridan, Wyoming to study leathercraft and carving with master craftsmen. Handcraft keeps me grounded in the craftsman’s spirit. Making a piece of leatherwork starts with selecting the hide; every strike and cut must be right. If you slip, you start over. For anyone who carves and builds by hand, it is a ruthless test of patience.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anyone who wants to become an artist needs calm and persistence—growing through cycles of self-doubt and self-revision. Over the years I went through a period of depression because I couldn’t find a direction or theme I loved. I painted a lot and threw away a lot. The biggest difficulty we have encountered is that it is very hard to sell our original works. How to sell them has become the greatest hardship.

One day, sketching with my students at a botanical garden, I noticed tree roots and branches with extraordinary forms, and they sparked something in me. Nature gave me a second start. In 2023 I finally founded Fortunei Art Studio, which my wife Linlin, helps manage and run. The studio focuses on oil painting and bespoke commissions. In my personal oil work there are two main series. One is “Roots,” using fallen roots to express human emotions and life journeys; though the roots are dead, the brush brings back hope. The other is a “Cats & Dogs” series. My wife and I adore animals—we have an eight-year-old Doberman—and from them we’ve learned selflessness, courage, and the many forms love can take. Through my paintings I hope to inspire care and protection for animals and a deeper respect for all living things. These two series have earned some awards in gallery competitions and gathered a small but devoted audience.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional painter, as well as a leather carver and a Realistic tattoo artist. Oil painter in the tattoo chair, realism tattooer at the easel. Canvas or skin—light and ink keep the memories.

2024 American Art Elite Award Top 10
My representative oil paintings are the “Roots” series, “Warm World”, “Sunday Afternoon”and “Pathfinder”. They have won some competitions held by galleries. Los Angeles County has recognized his art exhibit.
The Sasse Museum published a picture book about Tree stories, featuring the oil painting “Tree Roots No. 2.” The oil painting “Pathfinder” was selected for inclusion in the Sasse Art Museum’s the intersection of art ai.

Outside of painting, through introductions from sisters in my church community, I discovered tattooing. Within a two years, I became one of the more sought-after realism tattoo artists locally. Tattooing has opened me to a different side of life. I used to keep to myself and rarely met many people, so I hadn’t felt how many beautiful, moving stories and memories people carry. Because of the realism approach, I realized tattoos aren’t only about looking good; they hold remembrance. Ink becomes a vessel for what’s gone.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Los Angeles gave me the opportunity to create freely and allowed us to experience diverse cultures. It enables me to embrace more forms of art and expression. It makes me know that my dream might come true on the way.

I dislike the traffic in Los Angeles the most. It makes me feel extremely stressed and wastes my time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fortuneiart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.t_tattooartist?igsh=ZzU1MHRoODdzZ285&utm_source=qr