Life & Work with Yu Cheng

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yu Cheng.

Hi Yu, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I’m a landscape designer and a floral artist. I grew up near the largestpark of my hometown, where I used to feelthe leaves and bark, seeing the flowersbloom, and watchthe seasonal change of the world. Thisclose contact with nature instilled in me a fascination for plants and a strong sense of place. Parks and gardens started to become the places I visited most with my grandfather, who is a seal-cutting artist. The paintbrush and cutting knifein his hand was like amagic wand for me, and I started to think of getting my own magic wand one day. Since then, the passion for both nature and art has been growing on me.

Landscape design provides me with a perfect opportunity to combine nature and art. It is also a way to create an interactive relationship between nature system and urban network. Landscape is an artistic bridge between nature and us. I was able to study and practice landscape design in China and the US. It is always rewarding to stay creative and have some impact on our urban world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s always ups and downs along the way. Shifting the country of practice used to be a great challenge for me. While I was pursuing my master’s degree at UVA, the new environment posted a lot of challenges in language, culture, and design. But I was lucky to have great professors, colleagues, and friends helping me along the way. When finally, my design work was recognized and awarded, all my hard work paid off.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My design work seeks to convey the evolution of time and sensorial experiences through an artistic way. I take landscape as a medium between human and nature, past, present, and future. Stories are unfolded in the designed space. Creating a space that is distinctive and diverse, provocative and inspiring has always been my dream. I also love flowers, and I am trying to give my own interpretation of their beauty through painting and floriculture.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
LA is such a diverse city. I love the way it embraces all different kinds of culture and ideas. It is a great breeding ground for creativity and art. At the same time, this is such a food heaven for foodies like me. The diversity and quality of food and restaurants here is the best.

One thing I like least about LA is the lack of colorful fall foliage. I miss the beautiful fall colors on the East Coast. But on the other hand, the sunny weather here is great. It’s always a tradeoff.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yu.cheng.11/

Image Credits
Yu Cheng