3. Born in 1961, Benjamin Wu studied art at the Guangzhou Fine Art Institute in China from 1978 to 1985. After graduating from the oil painting department, he was offered a teaching position at the Guanhzhou Fine Art institute. While teaching at the institute he decided to move to the United States. In 1991, he received his MFA degreee from Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Since then, he has been working as a freelance illustrator and fine artist. Benjamin's exquisite paintings have garnered awards in exhibitions and competitions. In 2006, he received the Merit Award for Portrait and Figurative at the Asian Art Exhibition in Tokyo. In 2007, he received yet another Merit Award for Still Life at the Salon International 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. Benjamin Wu also has three paintings selected as finalists in the International 2007 ARC Salon.