The Beginning- Italy and Greece
Amalfi Coast, Italy / Sketches / Yao Cheng
Painting architectural buildings is a journey that I started a few years into starting my business. I happened upon it during a trip to Italy, and this post is about the beginning. Like all of my areas of interest, my Travel series is one that I will be painting and exploring for a long time to come… I cannot wait to see where I continue to go with destinations around the world! Suffice to say, though, that I have about 30 paintings that I am dying to start for this series alone…
First up, Italy:
I have always been fascinated by architecture and their geometric beauty…add to them the colors of Italy and I was SOLD! Over the next few years, I began exploring with how much details I wanted these paintings to have. The more I’ve painted them, the more details they seem to come to life with.
The very first painting in my Travel series came about when I went to the Amalfi Coast in Italy in 2014. There, I was surrounded by so many colorful buildings, shaped in all different ways by their unique personalities. I immediately took out my watercolors and began painting. These below are a few rough sketches that I created while there.
positano:
When I came back to my studio in Ohio, my brain was absolutely buzzing with ideas!
For the Positano artwork, the initial inspirations were captured that week spent strolling around Amalfi Coast…The sketch I had painted was broad but clued me in enough as to what I wanted to include most in this artwork- windows! I loved their repetitive nature but also how they all had slight variations. I was also feeling pretty nostalgic while I created the finished painting, given how memorable that trip was for me. What a gift it is being able to bring those types of memories home and hold them in my heart as I paint my own interpretations of them…
You can now bring Positano into your own space! Perhaps it’s a special keepsake for you as it is for me, or it’s a gift for someone who recently traveled to Italy. Whatever the purpose, its colorful buildings will surely bring sunshine into your home. And now, you can receive it framed!
Positano, Italy / Yao Cheng
Travel Series: This painting of Positano, Italy captures the iconic architecture of this travel destination. I was struck by the iconic buildings in this beautiful city. As I strolled by its colorful architecture and lush flora, I painted them in my watercolor sketchbook and thus began a decade-long exploration of painting destinations around the world!
Size: 8” x 10”, 11” x 14”
next up, greece:
Santorini quickly fell in line because I was having way too much fun painting Positano. Since the colorations of Greece are similar to Italy, it felt like a natural second piece to add to this great collection. I am pretty sure I will keep revisiting this country over and over in the future. The colors are just too fantastic to not! But for this first one created in 2014, I was focused on the vivid contrast between the colorful buildings and the sea.
Santorini, Greece / Yao Cheng
Travel Series: Yao painted this destination Greece island with all of its most beloved characteristics.
In the years since that first painting of Santorini, I’ve started to paint a second version of the town of Oia, Greece. This piece was more focused on the light and contrast with pops of golden orange and brown. I really love this painting, it is very much about patterns and textures but still staying true to the distinct features of the architecture. There are also small details of potted blooms and cobblestone steps. Find it as a Tea Towel!
Oia, Santorini / Completed / Yao Cheng
Travel Series: Painted as a companion to her fan-favorite Santorini, this sun-soaked watercolor rendition of the Greek Island, Oia is an absolute treasure. Yao paints her illustrative architectures free-hand, adding to the charm of this Mediterranean paradise.
Shop the Tea Towel version!
Travel Series: This tea towel features the Greek island of Oia. Yao painted this as a companion for her fan-favorite Santorini Tea Towel.
