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 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 making hand-crafted products. You can find a number of unique gifts here in my store.

About me

New arrivals at the gift shop

Looking for one-of-a-kind gifts that show off your support for artists? Check out these popular items featuring Ina's artwork, all sourced sustainably and 100% handmade.

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On show at the virtual gallery

My best work from recent travels and studio paintings.

"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.

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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 work

Be it a precious memory, a place that reminds you of someone special, or somewhere you aspire to be one day, I'd love to hear your story and help you bring it to life!

Click "Discuss commission artwork" and follow the guidelines on the Contact page to inquire about commission project. Consultation and quotation is always free.

Discuss commission artwork

Latest on Instagram

I'm honored to be the featured artist of October at Barlow Gallery, and my full collection of the Pacific Northwest paintings will be on view throughout the month. Reception nights are Oct 11 & 12 (Fri & Sat) and I will be doing a live painting demo on both days! Come sip some wine and check out the exciting new gallery in town! #barlowgallery #artshow #pacificnorthwestpainting #pacificnorthwestart #inaxiwatercolor
Fun paint-out day with @redheadartist101 at Olalla Bay last week, although by the end we were roasted and ready to jump into the bay! I totally forgot to film my work too. But What makes the final paintings so lovely was the cheerful mood and people thoroughly enjoying themselves all around us. Those Italian soda at @olallabaymarketandlanding sure feel good afterwards! Also learned from a local who was driving by that the bluff we were painting used to be a logging facility and long before that a native American dwelling site. #olallabay #olallabaymarket #olalla #localhistory #pleinairpainting #pleinairpainter
A small painting titled "Getting street food", was born after searching in my childhood memories, back when street vending was still tolerated in the city of Shanghai. PleinAir Salon said it was part of their top 100th finalist for the July issue. Thank you Plein Air Magazine! #inaxiwatercolor #pleinairsalon #pleinairmag #artcompetition2024 #artcompetition #onlineartcompetition #paintingcompetition #drawingcompetition #pleinairsalonartcompetition
Happy Labor Day weekend!
#pleinairpainting #watercolorpainting #pleinairartist #pioneersquare #pioneersquareseattle #urbansketching #urbansketchers #urbansketch
Ocean Shores Beach. Ocean Shores is a harsh beach. It can get stormy even in the middle of summer. But that's Pacific Northwest beauty for you. In this painting I aimed to capture the feeling of after the rain on the beach – wet sand, peeking blue sky, people eager to get out and stretch their legs. #oceanshores #watercolor
A quick, small format painting of a view inside the Venice #biennale. Tried depicting a white bridge entirely out of negative shapes and I think it's working. I found the La Gardenia area especially peaceful. #watercolorpainting #pleinairpainting #venicebiennale
Some of my best new paintings, featuring scenes from my past and recent trips - Siena, Mt. Rainier, Banff National Park and San Francisco. Framed and ready to go for the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour. It starts tomorrow. Get your map on! https://bistudiotour.com/map/ #bistudio #bistudiotour #siena #mtrainier #dolorespark #banffnationalpark #bainbridgeisland #bainbridgeislandlife #watercolorpainting #pleinairpainter
These heavy duty sail canvas totes featuring my paintings of local sceneries are only available through the Bainbridge Island tour this Friday through Sunday. Stop by Elizabeth VanDuine's studio during the tour to collect them. Each one is hand signed with permanent paint and the whole bag is machine washable #bistudiotour #kingston #poulsbo #bainbridgeisland #eagleharbor #sailboats #watercolorpainting
Come to Elizabeth VanDuine Studio on Aug 9, 10, 11 (10-6pm) to meet nine talented local artists, shop special edition artwork, and see their creative process up close! Artwork shown belong to @danaharrisseeger @elizabethvanduinepapercuts @twodogstudio Mary Edwards @inabear #bistudiotour #bistudio #artwalk #openstudio
Come to Elizabeth VanDuine Studio on Aug 9, 10, 11 (10-6pm) to meet nine talented local artists, shop special edition artwork, and see their creative process up close! #bistudiotour #bistudio #artwalk #openstudio @brycebennettart @deborahmiltonarts @erindelargy @bdpowers @inabear
Steampunk vibe from head to toe! Painting at the amazing Georgetown Steam Plant with the Plein Air group of the Northwest Watercolor Society. What a special place and inspiration filled day! #NWWS #steampunk #pleinairwatercolor #pleinairpainting Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/a-creative-mind
Making some limited edition merchs for my upcoming exhibition at the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour (@bistudiotour). The idea of walking from one artist studio to another in the wooded Bainbridge neighborhoods sounds quite appealing, don’t you think?
July garden is filled with colors, with #lily taking over the center stage and many #coolflower still in bloom. Working hard over here to keep everything watered and fed in this heat wave, but it's worth all the efforts when you get fresh bouquets from your own garden! #cutflowergardening #flowerarrangement #bouquetideas #flowerarranging Music from #Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/shuko/summer-breeze
Excited to announce Barlow Gallery now represents me in Tacoma! Barlow has a wide range of artists' work on rotation through their physical and virtual exhibitions. They also offer high quality reproductions on demand. But I'm most impressed by the profile page they crafted for every artist they represent. Here is mine https://barlowgallery.com/artist/ina-xi Thank you Ron and Rachel! #barlowgallery
My #seascape watercolor mini course concludes with a paint-along video where I demonstrated how you can compose a full-on harbor scene without any reference image, using knowledges we gained from the previous two videos on how to draw boats and how to convey different lighting and mood. Watch the full course here: https://youtu.be/tJ90rUt6hMk #seascapepainting #watercolorpainting #watercolordemonstration #watercolor tutorial #watercolorboats #watercolorreflection
Just spent a few days at Mt. Rainier National Park with the family and did some live sketching on the go. One word to describe this place: Majestic! Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll #mtrainier #mtrainiernationalpark #paradiseinn #watercolor #watercolorpainting #pleinairpainting #pleinairwatercolor #livepainting
Painting in Paradise - literally and figuratively
A screenshot from the watercolor mini course I just launched of painting boats and reflections. In this video, I painted 9 quick value studies to demonstrate how lights, shadows and reflections behave differently under different weather conditions. Knowing this will allow you to achieve consistent results regardless of what mood you are trying to convey for your seascape painting. Watch full tutorial on my Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/nNZ8mC_qWY8 #seascapepainting #watercolorpainting #watercolordemonstration #watercolor tutorial #watercolorboats #watercolorreflection
New painting from an old trip. I was kayaking at the Rockland Harbor when I noticed the fractured reflections and the high contrast between the two fishing boats - one light, one dark - docked by the pier. I tried to capture the feeling where the sun is almost out that you can feel its warmth on your face. #watercolorpainting #maine #rockland #pleinairpainting #fishingboats #seascapepainting #pleinairwatercolor