Wiltshire Drawing New York's Skyline

Acclaimed Artist Says He Wanted to Wait to Take on Manhattan in His Panorama Series

(CBS)  In the "Early Show"'s "A Beautiful Memory" series, Stephen Wiltshire, an artist with autism, is drawing a panorama of New York City's Manhattan skyline.

Wiltshire, a London-based artist known for drawing stunningly detailed cityscapes from memory, flew over New York City in a helicopter on Friday.

A 20-minute weekend fly-over provided the memory for a 20-foot panorama of the city that he is drawing throughout this week at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute. Viewers can watch his progress on a live web cam or visit the Institute while he works from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30.

Read Stephen Wiltshire's "Early Show" Blog

Wiltshire's New York panorama will complete his collection of nine works depicting some of the world's most iconic cities -- London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Rome, Madrid, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Jerusalem.

Slideshow: Portrait of a Panorama Artist

Following the creation of this New York panorama, he will explore new creative directions for his genius.

CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reported Wiltshire has been waiting to take on the Big Apple's skyline.

"I think I'm holding the best for last," Wiltshire told Phillips.

Wiltshire said on "The Early Show" that he's doing as much as possible on the panorama to have it completed for Friday.

The work-in-progress he shared on the broadcast already showed a large portion of the Lower Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building.

So how long will Wiltshire retain his memories of New York's skyline?

Wiltshire's sister, Annette Wiltshire, said he can keep memories for years, recalling the same buildings again and again for different works.

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To learn more about Wiltshire and his work, click here to read "Portrait of an Artist as a Panorama Master."