Cityscapes- part 1
New York City / Christa Kimble Photography / Yao Cheng
chicago:
Around the same time that I was expanding paintings like Santorini and Positano, I was also creating smaller landmarks of places here in the United States. Taking small steps towards my larger goal of painting places around the world- that was my way to properly learn how to best capture these places.
This was also during a time when I offered Bespoke Wedding stationery. As a quick tangent about wedding stationery- I really loved painting these commissioned projects back when my business was just budding. They took my creative brain to places that I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered and I’m very grateful for those years of experience. They were some of the building blocks for my larger design projects in the years to come!
Anyway, for this bride below, creating this map became the initial spark for my subsequent Chicago Skyline piece. Read Part 2 for more on that painting…
St. Louis, Missouri
Another commissioned Bespoke Wedding map included the landmark of Gateway Arch!
New York City:
Moving through these projects gave me the creative confidence to go more complex with the cityscapes. New York City was one that was on my mind for a while. All of the different kinds of buildings and window treatments fascinated me. I saw them as dancing lights, flickering in the distance at dusk. It’s one of the elements that jump out at me most when I close my eyes and think of all of my visits to the big apple. Especially at night, you can’t help but get swept up in all of the brightness and gleam! This was what I wanted to showcase in this artwork.
New York City / Yao Cheng Design
Charleston:
Ah, and hello Rainbow Row! Painting this was one of the rare times when I am able to immediately execute my idea on the first try. Those moments are such gems, so when I happen upon them I am just delighted! I think this painting was a successful first attempt because the idea was very straight forward. I simply wanted to paint my interpretation of this ever-popular landmark in Charleston. As the name of the street suggests, I wanted to paint the colors of the rainbow and also capture its Georgian style of architecture.
Rainbow Row!
One of my most popular prints, this painting was a rare moment where I hit the mark in the first version.
