Filipino-Taiwanese artist finds personal value in painting｜Taiwan News

Wu Chieh-sheng has always loved to paint. In high school, the Filipino-Taiwanese artist became infatuated with hand-painted movie billboards, and even asked the famous painter Hsieh Sen-shan for support. He has now created a diverse set of murals, although his favorite is the one he did on a migrant dorm in Taoyuan’s Guishan. Wu says that painting is therapeutic, and he hopes to one day become an illustrator.

Wu Chieh-sheng
Filipino-Taiwanese artist
I’m mixing green now. Add a little bit of blue to yellow and you’ll get green. A little black will make it deeper. Right now I’m painting the entrance to a Philippine restaurant, so it has a tropical feel to it.

28-year-old Wu Chieh-sheng is a 2D game art designer. He might use a computer for work, but his true passion is still painting by hand.

Wu Chieh-sheng
Filipino-Taiwanese artist
For birds of paradise, it’s not enough to just paint one layer. You need another layer to cover up the original outline.

When Wu became interested in painting lifelike movie billboards in high school, he approached Hsieh Sen-shan for guidance. The famous artist gave him an introduction to creating large murals.

Wu Chieh-sheng
Filipino-Taiwanese artist
Before Mr. Hsieh’s help, I wasn’t very good at using opaque media to mix colors. Layered watercolors and layered concrete paint are entirely different. The amount of water is also entirely different. So Mr. Hsieh gave me a lot of guidance on technique.

The three-story migrant dorm across from Unimicron in Taoyuan’s Guishan District was Wu’s largest project, as well as the most satisfying.

Voice of Wu Chieh-sheng
Filipino-Taiwanese artist
I painted the things most familiar to me, like the Chocolate Hills and Mayon Volcano. It’s done in an interpretive style. Instead of realistic colors, I used many different colors to piece together the entire scene.

Wu’s mother is from the Philippines and his father is from Taiwan. He grew up in the Philippines until the age of seven, when he started elementary school in Taiwan. He says his status as a second-generation immigrant confused him for a while. It wasn’t until his part-time job in college that he discovered his talent for painting and came to terms with his identity. After that, Wu felt liberated to find his own place in the world through art.

Wu Chieh-sheng
Filipino-Taiwanese artist
I want to become an illustrator. I want to make more of my own work and paint more things that I like, not just what companies and clients want.

Evelyn Bon Wu
Wu’s mother
Success in painting, like the other painters he will be successful. He can sell his paintings expensive.

According to Wu, his Filipina mother has given him a life unlike any other.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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