Popo is of Russian and Indian ancestry and first studied the philosophies and arts of the Orient in New York. Ruby Lee, whose parentage is Chinese, Austrian, English and Japanese, traveled from Hong Kong to London and Paris to study classic Western Art. They met and were married in San Francisco. They spent five years in the small town of Ojai, between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. There, away from the social pressures and distractions of a major city, they matured in both their techniques and temperaments.

The portraits of American Indians by Popo and Ruby Lee are the products not only of their mutual artistic talents, but also their different backgrounds.