Ina Xi Watercolors

Art for nature lovers and culture travelers. 

Nice meeting you here!

Hi, I'm Ina Xi, an outdoor painter and watercolorist based in Port Orchard, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. With a multi-cultural background and an adventurous spirit, I search for harmony between nature, culture and human elements through my work, striving to capture the fleeting beauty of a cherished moment or place.

Besides traveling and painting, I enjoy teaching drawing and painting workshops that inspire students of all levels to expand their artistic horizon

You can learn more about me here.

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Latest original paintings

My best work from recent travels and studio paintings that are available for sale

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"The next best thing to being at the seacoast is owning a watercolor painting by Ina Xi. Her works capture the essence of the salt seas and their bays, whether at Istanbul, Venice, or San Francisco. Her paintings are a vital part of our collection of local art."

- Alison S.L.

Classes and learning resources

  • Free online resources

    I post regular videos on my YouTube channel from watercolor techniques, painting demonstrations to travel inspiration. I strive to be informative and inspiring with my teaching. If you find my videos helpful, be sure to like or subscribe!

  • In-person group lessons

    I currently teach beginner watercolor classes in Port Orchard, Washington. Schedules of group classes are posted in the link below. To get notified of upcoming classes, follow me on Facebook page or subscribe to my Email newsletter

  • Teaching request

    I offer both in-person and online classes on demand. If you are seeking to advance your skill, or you are an organization interested in having me as a teacher, please use the link below to submit your teaching request. 

    Submit teaching request 
Learn more about classes

Commission artwork

Be it your favorite travel memory, your childhood home, or a place that reminds you of someone special, I'm honored to help you bring it to life!

Click "Learn more about commission" to see my standard process, example subjects and submit your project request. Consultation and quotation are always free!

Learn more about commission

Latest on Instagram

A compilation of a few artworks from my ongoing solo show at Collective Vision @cvgbremerton in Bremerton. “Nocturnal” ends in a week. Stop by before 6/1 to take a closer look! #inaxiwatercolor
Sorry for not posting for a while. Life has been very busy. It feels good to be able to check back in and catch up on things! For this painting titled “Good night Seattle”, I wanna thank fellow artists @derekgundy for letting me use his video reference and for posting that in the first place. This is the view of Seattle skyline as the ferry pull away from the dock. I can totally resonate with this moment because it’s often filled with content and sense of comfort, after a busy day spent in the city and now home bound. #inaxiwatercolor #pacificnorthwestartist #seattle #seattleartist
I will be exhibiting at this year’s Peninsula Art Festival in Gig Harbor this July 19-20. Shown in the video is one of my favorite paintings of Gig Harbor - Summertime at Skansie Brothers Park. This place is the cultural hub of the town, hosts weekly farmer’s market and a favorite launching spot for paddlers and kayakers. The festival will be held at a different park - Sehmel Homestead Park just west of downtown. It’s a much more spacious plot with new amenities. I hope to meet you there! #inaxiwatercolor #gigharbor
A bonus video explaining my thought process when painting on the “Kayakers on the Olalla Bay”. #inaxiwatercolor #olalla #pacificnorthwestartist
This is the new version of the Olalla Bay and Landing painting, after the first one was collected by the owners of @olallabaymarketandlanding This hidden gem of a place is where local folks gather and enjoy the quintessential Pacific Northwest sunset. And a good splash on a hot summer day. I love this spot as much as you do! This original painting is still available for purchase. DM me if you’re interested in learning more, and I’m always happy to find you a good deal. It’s not always about making the sales. I’d rather wait for the right person to own it, knowing that it will be respected and bring them joy. For see all available original artworks, visit inaxiwatercolor.com #inaxiwatercolor #olalla #pacificanorthwest
Titled “Goodbye Seattle”, this painting frames the view of downtown Seattle skyline as the ferry departs the dock, leaving a trail of foamy waves behind. The lighting of that day was just so magical and golden, hence the more saturated color choice #inaxiwatercolor #seattle #pacificnorthwestartist
“Alki Sunset”, watercolor on paper. This one is the study painting that turned out to be better than the actual one 🥹, which totally happens a lot with watercolor painting. One misstep, one drop of pigment in the mixture, it just may not turn out right. This one to me is successful because it captures the vibrant sunset hues without making it cheesy. Now you know why the main piece failed lol. #inaxiwatercolor #alki #alkibeach #alkilighthouse
This Rainier Meadow painting is one of my favorite classes to teach. It serves a platform to learn all the core techniques in watercolor medium and the subject is also fun to paint. I recently taught this class via my Patreon program but will be teaching it again in September @localwhimsy . We only have 5 spots left. So grab your ticket if you’d like to join in on! For tickets of this and other upcoming workshops, visit inaxiwatercolor.com #inaxiwatercolor #paintingclass #watercolorworkshop #mtrainier
With the nice weather upon us, I’ve got multiple requests from people for helping them get into plein air sketching. Plein air sketching can be daunting for those who are new to it. However, it’s a super charged way to advance your skill of distillation, abstraction and composition - the skills that matter the most as an artist. I’m excited to announce I will be teaching a 2 day workshop at Bainbridge BARN this July and break down the full process of how to approach and ease into plein air sketching, starting from the warmup exercises, to methods id distillation, and end with a composed, painted scene that doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to do! To learn more or to register for the class, visit bainbridgebarn.org and search for “plein air workshop”. You’ll find the class in the top result. #inaxiwatercolor #bainbridge
This painting is about the peaceful moment waiting for the sun to rise and the excitement when the first glow climbs onto the mountain peak. I wanna thank Chuck Senn, a Port-Orchard photographer for letting me use his photo as painting reference. Even though we see this view day after day from the Port Orchard waterfront, I never slowed down to appreciate its unique beauty - how the beautiful geometry of the shipyard stands against the misty forest and the Olympic Mountain range. Chuck’s photo captured the juxtaposition beautifully. I heard this ginormous hammerhead crane is getting taken down. 🥲 I guess this painting turns out to be something we can memorize it by - an icon of Navy history. This original painting is still available for sale at inaxiwatercolor.com Please DM me if you’re interested about collecting this and my other original artworks. I will make sure to give you the best deal possible! #inaxiwatercolor #bremerton #shipyard #olympicmountains
Another wide aspect ratio painting. This scene is from Browns Point Salmon Bake event, a fundraiser and annual tradition for Browns Point Improvement Club in Tacoma. The theme of the painting is action and excitement, and there’s nothing better to convey that than depicting the chefs busy at work in front of a long roasting pit! I love the fact that all the chefs at the event wear white outfit so that in the painting they stand out against the background. I also love the vertical shapes of the evergreen trees at the park which create nice contrast with the hazy bay in the distance. This and other Tacoma themed artworks will be on show at the Proctor Arts Festival this summer. Follow on Insta or subscribe to my email newsletter(link in bio) to stay put for all upcoming show info. #inaxiwatercolor #brownspoint #brownspointlighthouse @brownspointimprovementclub #proctorartsfest
I recently started painting long scroll format and quite like it. This is particularly great for panoramic scenes such as this view from Bainbridge Island looking at Seattle. This painting is derived from a plein air painting at the Rockway Beach Park. I decided to incorporate the rocky beach itself to the painting and downplayed the prominence of the Seattle skyline. Because it’s about life on the Bainbridge Island less so about the city. That beach is perfect, BTW. The rock formation, colors and tidal pools are all interesting subject subjects. I need to go back next time I’m there. This and other new paintings will be released soon to my website. See link in bio #inaxiwatercolor #bainbridge #bainbridgeislandwa
I did some very quick urban sketching in Petaluma during my trip to California. It sounded very peaceful with this music but it was actually super windy and noisy! The goal is to be able to work quickly and capture the architectural forms of these old buildings. I think I spent 15 min on each sketch tops. I’m also in love with the new Sakura Pigma Calligraphy pens and the folio bag from Art Toolkit. The nice thing about working in black and white is forcing you to distill the subject and capture the shadow forms accurately and quickly. #inaxiwatercolor #urbansketcher #arttoolkit
Eminonu Square as seen from Galata Bridge. Sometimes I get too ambitious about a project and this is certainly one of them! It turned out to be a joy to paint though, because of the backlit objects and their dynamic shadows. This and a few other Instanbul artworks are still available to collect. DM me to get a good deal! To see all available and recently sold original paintings, visit inaxiwatercolor.com #inaxiwatercolor #instanbul
Another painting in the same series as last one. I love painting indoor scenes especially with architectural elements and people. It’s about capturing the energy and the hustle and bustle you can almost hear through the image. Learn more about this artwork and shop prints from the Istanbul collection at inaxiwatercolor.com #inaxiwatercolor #grandbazaar #istanbul
This is a half sheet size watercolor painting featuring a busy street corner. But not just any street corner. Can you guess where this is? I love painting scenes like this - strong shadows, colorful figures, architectural elements. To check out this and other artworks featuring historic sites, visit inaxiwatercolor.com #inaxiwatercolor
Last painting of the Poulsbo Alley miniature series. This one is my favorite because it feels both bold and warm. It’s in the winter after the rain. But the zigzag pattern of the string lights and the Norwegian flags look extra charming in the chilly weather. This painting is sold. Browse other available pieces at carriegollergallery.com or visit the charming Poulsbo some day! #inaxiwatercolor #poulsbo #poulsbowashington
Poulsbo Alley No.5 from the painting series showcases the fall vibe of the alley. Changing colors, fresh air and bright sun. #inaxiwatercolor #pacificnorthwestartist #poulsbo #poulsbowashington
The 4th painting of the Poulsbo Alley series is about those long summer sunsets and winding down after a full day of activities. Visit @carriegollergallery in Poulsbo to collect one of these original miniature paintings each priced at $200 only. They are individually mounted on wood cradle board, sealed with cold wax and ready for hanging. #inaxiwatercolor #poulsbo #poulsbowashington
No.3 of the Poulsbo Alley miniature painting series. It’s that bright spring day vibe depicted in the scene - tender green foliage, clear sky, people out and about. That’s the season we are in. So bright and hopeful! I believe this painting is already sold. But go visit @carriegollergallery or carriegollergallery.com to browse available pieces. In addition to original artworks, they offer prints and posters of different sizes at a more accessible price. #inaxiwatercolor #poulsbo #poulsbowashington