Crumpled candy wrappers, torn postage paper and sharpened pencil stubs are often overlooked by the beauty-seeking observer. Janice Wu, local artist and freelance illustrator, is an exception. Her work with pencil and acrylic whimsically portrays the mundane, inanimate objects that people often dismiss as detritus, proving that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

Mission of the artist as a young woman

Material culture is an important theme in Wu’s work.“The traces of our daily existence have historic value. They can reveal insights in to our culture and tell a story,” Wu, 25, says.

Indeed, her work transforms the throwaway objects of our material culture – paper clips, envelopes, wishbones – into artifacts of intrigue to be observed with the same fascination enjoyed by items in a museum.

“I see my creative process as similar to the scientific method” says Wu. “I’ve always been a collector growing up – stamps, rocks, small things that are often considered junk. The act of organizing these collections according to various categories was a creative expression for me. It was my way of gathering data to learn about the world, which is what scientists do.”

True to her word, Wu’s art coaxes the playfulness out of everyday objects such as vending machine snacks and flavours them with a preciousness that we rarely reserve for junk.

“Ordinary objects can often express larger ideas about humanity, about how we life and what we value. I’m interested in how an inanimate object is not really inanimate,” says Wu.

Starting out and gaining experience

Having obtained a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts last year, Wu’s illustrations have been commissioned by clients like the New York Times, Men’s Health, and Glow Magazine.

Wu got her start when a popular art blog Booooooom featured her work. Her drawings caught the attention of the arts editor at The Walrus magazine, who contacted her to commission her first editorial illustration, which attracted more notice. Wu’s experience of getting her foot in the door of her dream field of work took hard work, patience, and self-promotion.

“To be honest, I was fortunate to have my portfolio ready and prepared. Now with the internet and social media, it’s easy to get your work seen,” Wu says. Past challenge, present projects Wu’s challenges as an artist were as common as her work is unique. “[The main challenge] was finding my artistic voice. I needed to make a lot of bad work that I wasn’t happy with before I started to become satisfied,” Wu says.

Through much practice Wu found her groove and settled into the style she now calls her own. Quirky details make Wu’s work pop out from the array of similar realist and minimalist styles. She gives attention to shadow and shine using bright colours in diluted gouache paint.

To see Wu’s work in person, visit: Bob Prittie Burnaby Public Library 6100 Willingdon Ave., Burnaby Second floor Until March 30