Busacca Gallery

Pastel Still Life Colored Nude Drawing On Paper By Jian James Wu This artwork, created by Jian James Wu in one of his drawing classes, features a pastel still life-colored nude drawing on paper. The piece is presented with its own hand-cut paper mat. James Wu is a globally recognized contemporary drawing instructor with a rich artistic journey. Wu initiated his artistic career in China during middle school, where he first explored his passion on a blackboard by creating a version of a class newsletter. His artistic journey gained momentum when he crossed paths with Mr. Wang Naizhuang, a renowned artist in China, who became Wu's mentor. Under Mr. Naizhuang's guidance, Wu delved into the realms of drawing and painting, setting the foundation for his future endeavors. Today, Jian James Wu's work is characterized as impressionistic realism. While he primarily works with oil, he also utilizes pastel, acrylic, watercolor, and marker pens in his artistic expressions. Influenced by masters such as Sargent, Picasso (particularly cubism), and contemporary artist Richard Schmid, Wu has developed his distinctive style over the years. Noteworthy features of his paintings include his ability to capture light and his loose brushwork. In his studio practice, Wu employs both live models and photo references. His process involves starting with a burnt umber underdrawing to sketch out basic value patterns. He then applies color, beginning with shadow areas, followed by middle tones, lighter areas, and finally, highlights. Wu meticulously assesses and makes final adjustments towards the end of the process. For landscapes, he directly applies color, ensuring the establishment of value contrasts. Wu's choice of brushes includes bristle brushes (brights and filberts), along with the occasional large house brush and palette knife. His color palette comprises titanium white, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, permanent rose, magenta, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, phthalo green (yellow shade), phthalo green (blue shade), and ivory black. Having graduated from the prestigious Art College of Qing Hua University (formerly Central Art and Crafts College of China) in 1984, Wu's artistic journey continued. Between his graduation and emigration to the United States, he received commissions for works in five-star hotels, and his art was exhibited in China's National Art Exhibitions. In 1993, he pursued further studies at the Graduate School of Academy of Art University in San Francisco, joining the university's faculty shortly thereafter. Wu earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2000. As a professional artist, Jian James Wu has held solo exhibitions and participated in group shows in the United States, earning awards in nationwide professional art exhibitions and competitions.

Jian Wu has had many accomplishments in his career: he is a Master Artist with NOAPS, has won two Exceptional Merit Awards from the International Portrait Competition; NOAPS awards including a Best of Show, Third Place, Best Use of Light and Color (twice) and Best Portrait Award. He has also won accolades for his pastel work, winning First, Second, and Third place awards in the Pastel Journal ‘Pastel 100 Competition’. But for Jian, his most prized accomplishment has been the development of his own personal style of painting. Jian leaves us with a quote from Winston Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” To relate to painting, Jian says: “I believe that those of us who play with colors can paint our way out of any ‘hell’ if we persist”.