Spain and Portugal
Spain / Yao Cheng
A few months ago, I began a major revisit of my Travel series. One of the reasons I started painting destination artworks again was because of the pandemic and the ensuing months where escaping to a faraway getaway felt like just the ticket. I may have also been in my closet munching on a bag of potato chips while I escaped to these Mediterranean countries, but that’s probably everyone’s stories, right?
Anyway, I was reminded of how I loved the repetition of buildings stacking on top of one another. I really liked the images of buildings in Spain due to their limited color palette. It seemed like a fun challenge to see how much color I can expressively place into these buildings as I imagined sunlight and cast off shadows…
Buildings!
For whatever reason, I find this perspective of buildings particularly fun to paint. To date, there are three different versions of this finished piece.
Seeing my art in stages is a great way for me to document my progress. It’s fun to see how seemingly abstract shapes and blocks can quickly grow into something more recognizable. There’s a wonderful play of geometry and pattern at work!
Moving onto a different type of scenery but keeping with a lot of the same aesthetics as the previous Spain paintings, this one below was fun to add in some foliage. I love the way the empty, white space plays with the foreground. Here, it’s just as much about what’s left as white space as what is painted in. I don’t work with penciled in sketches beforehand, so it’s always a great challenge to place all the elements in by using my eyes.
Spain / In Progress / Yao Cheng
Spain No. 4 / Coming Soon / Yao Cheng Design
After painting a few versions of this beautiful country, I decided I was ready to take another leap and start mixing in my own creative colors. Below is the beginning of a new piece where I’m pulling in colors of planter pots. This is absolutely essential to my way of making art- mixing together seemingly different sources of inspiration. I believe that this is what makes my art and visual expression truly unique. It’s also the most freeing way to create- everything is possible.
This piece is still in progress, so check back for more updates! Follow my Color board on Pinterest to see other palette inspirations!
Lisbon, Portugal!
A new painting based on the neighborhood of Alfama in Lisbon, Portugal.
Lisbon, Portugal / Completed / Yao Cheng
