Busacca Gallery

Red Pastel Still Life: Old Monk. Drawing on paper By Jian Wu. Produced during one of his drawing classes, this captivating piece by James Wu comes with its own hand-cut paper mat. James, a globally renowned contemporary drawing instructor, embarked on his artistic journey in China. His initial exploration took place on a blackboard, where he created a version of a class newsletter in middle school. The turning point in his art career occurred when he met Mr. Wang Naizhuang, a distinguished artist in China, who became Jian's mentor, imparting knowledge in drawing and painting. Today, Jian Wu's work is characterized by impressionistic realism. While he primarily paints in oil, he also ventures into pastel, acrylic, watercolor, and marker pens. Influenced by masters like Sargent, Picasso (especially cubism), and contemporary artist Richard Schmid, Jian has developed a distinctive style marked by his ability to capture light and employ loose brushwork. In his studio, Jian works with live models and photo references. His process involves starting with a burnt umber underdrawing, outlining basic value patterns, and then layering colors—from shadows to highlights. He meticulously assesses for final adjustments. For landscapes, he skips the underdrawing step, diving directly into color while ensuring strong value contrasts. Jian Wu employs a variety of brushes, including bristle brushes (brights and filberts), occasional large house brushes, and a palette knife. His color palette includes 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. A graduate of the prestigious Art College of Qing Hua University (former Central Art and Crafts College of China) in 1984, Jian Wu, between graduation and his move to the United States, created commissioned works for five-star hotels and exhibited his art in China's National Art Exhibitions. In 1993, he pursued further studies at the Graduate School of Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he later joined the faculty. Jian earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2000. As a professional artist, Jian Wu has showcased his talent through solo exhibitions and group shows in the United States, earning awards in nationwide professional art exhibitions and competitions.

The Red Pastel Still Life: Old Monk by Jian Wu encapsulates a rich artistic history and technique. Wu's journey began in China, where he honed his skills under the mentorship of Mr. Wang Naizhuang, a prominent artist. Influenced by masters like Sargent and Picasso, Wu developed his own style, evident in his impressionistic realism and adept use of various mediums, including oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, and marker pens. The artwork, produced in one of his drawing classes, showcases Wu's meticulous process—from a burnt umber underdrawing to layering colors and final adjustments. His choice of brushes, including bristle brushes and a palette knife, adds texture, while the carefully curated color palette enhances the vibrancy of the piece. Graduating from the Art College of Qing Hua University, Wu's emigration to the United States marked a new chapter, leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree. The Red Pastel Still Life thus represents not only a moment in Wu's career but a harmonious blend of artistic influences, techniques, and a journey spanning cultures and mediums. 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”.