Cindy Cheng’s Artistic Talent Shines At UCSF Artisan Guild
Communication and Events Manager Cindy Cheng is well known for her attention to detail and hands-on approach to planning Radiology’s educational and department events.
What you may not realize is that she’s also an artist!
She proudly displayed her handmade greeting cards, knitted hats, and crocheted leather wallets at a recent UCSF Artisan Guild By The Bay craft fair. The next day, we sat down with her to explore her creativity, artistic sensibility, and inspiration.
An Artist, Like Her Father
Ever since kindergarten, Cheng recalls her parents’ joy when she gave them hand-crafted, bejeweled cards to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and special holidays—starting a cherished family tradition.
“I inherited my art from my dad, and now I’ve also passed it on to my 17-year-old daughter,” she said. “For me, art is a connection to my father, and I know it's a connection for her too.”
Prior to emigrating to San Francisco, Cheng’s father worked in interior design and commercial advertising in Hong Kong. He painted billboards and large movie posters in front of theaters. After relocating to San Francisco, he continued interior design and exterior signage for restaurants and other small businesses. After retirement, he continued to create watercolor and acrylic paintings.
Today, her father’s artistic spirit lives on in her work. Her father taught her the history and art form of Chinese paintings – watercolor on rice paper, inscribed with a poem or idiom, and mounted in silk brocade. And he also taught her to value and appreciate her art from a very young age.
“When I’d paint, if it wasn’t perfect or I didn't like it, I would crumple up the paper and throw it away,” she said, recalling her childhood memories growing up in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood.
“But then my dad would save it, saying, ‘you never know.’ And he's right. Some paintings I look back at now and realize they’re really nice!”
UCSF Artisan Guild By The Bay
When she’s not planning Grand Rounds or coordinating guest speakers for annual division lectures, Cheng channels her creativity with fellow UCSF employees in the UCSF Artisan Guild. She helps organize the Guild’s two annual craft fairs and prepares her own crafts to sell at each event.
She finds stress relief in the repetitive motion of knitting, often knitting hats from random skeins of yarn at home. Recently, she’s been applying her crocheting skills to create modern leather wallets using crochet stitches. Greeting cards hold a special place in her heart, and she plays with origami, like a crane or a Japanese kimono for example, to adorn the cards.
“I love that at the craft fair we all come together,” she said, acknowledging her talented colleagues. For 22 years, Cindy has worked in Radiology planning events, and she credits her strong connections with fellow Artisan Guild members for helping her think out-of-the-box, problem-solve, and be more resourceful.
She encourages anyone interested in custom handmade items or joining the guild to connect on Microsoft Teams or via email at: Cindy.Cheng@ucsf.edu