Born in Guangzhou in 1929, Koo Mei emigrated to Hong Kong in 1950 and started studying traditional Chinese painting under Zhao Shao'ang in the early 1960s. She later studied with Hu Nianzu in Taiwan and Lui Shou Kwan 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 in her painting. 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 color washes. Delicate layers of ink and color create a sense of movement reflecting the mood of mountains, suggesting a sense of infinite vastness.