Purple Orchid Flowers Tropical Collection #17 watercolor painting

"Purple Orchids" original watercolor - for sale in my Original Art Shop!

These beautiful purple orchids were in the Foster Botanical Gardens orchid conservatory, a steamy hothouse filled with gorgeous orchids from many parts of the world. Though the Gardens has an orchid section outdoors, there are some that will not do well in Hawaii's comfortable climate. They need it hot and humid!

There is quite a bit of detail to paint in these blooms since the color comes from the veins in the petals. So I painted the petals first with a pale pink-violet color. Then, with a darker violet, I painted the veins leaving pale spots to get the effect you see above.

This painting is sold. Just ask if you'd like a similar one painted just for you.

Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach watercolor painting Tropicals #15

The subject for this painting was ordered by a collector of the Tropical series. Like many beach lovers who visit Hawaii, she enjoyed long pleasant days on Waikiki beach. Diamond Head crater can be seen in the distance.
If you visit Oahu and have stamina for climbing, it's a nice hike up to the top of the crater from which there are excellent views. I, for one, was glad that I'd kept in shape all winter by climbing up and down the stairs in my home 10-20 times per day because once we got to Diamond Head, the stairs to the top seemed unending!

See more of my Hawaii seascapes.

Pink Orchid Flowers, Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu -Tropical 16

"Pink Orchids" original watercolor - for sale in my Original Art Shop!

The inspiration for this watercolor was lovely pink orchids from the Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. When we entered the Gardens, the person who sold us the tickets suggested we start with the orchid gardens. At first, I only saw the green foliage of palm trees and tropical shrubs. But wandering through the pathways, marvelous orchids appeared around every bend like these pink beauties.

White Orchid Flowers Hawaii Tropical Collection #14

The orchid paintings of my Tropicals Collection focuses on the beautiful flowers on the island of Oahu.

Some of the flowers such as these orchids, I found in the Foster Botanical Gardens in Honolulu. Oahu has five botanical gardens I believe, but we only managed to get to one of them. Still it was a full day of gorgeousness.  I loved finding beautiful orchids blooming outdoors. Hawaii is a tropical paradise!

"White Orchids" original watercolor is sold. Find my available orchid paintings in my shop here: Orchid watercolor paintings.

Yellow and Red Tulips Spring Flowers watercolor painting

With Easter this weekend, the tulips and daffodils are popping up in all their Springtime glory!  

I painted the background with a wet-into-wet technique giving the far tulip a soft and out-of-focus look so the foreground flower stands out. Rich blues and greens in the background further enhance the delicate yellow colors of the flower.

The original painting has been sold. Take a peek at more of my flower paintings in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com or let me know if you'd like a custom painting or print made.

Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Pink Plumeria Flowers Watercolor Painting - Tropicals #13

Now that the "en Plein Air" paintings (paintings done on site) are finished, it's time to begin some paintings from the over 800 photos I took while in Hawaii. That's a lot of photos! So there are enough to use as reference for the remaining 88 paintings in this collection.

If you've seen my Hawaii video, you may remember seeing a photo of these beautiful plumeria flowers. These are the flowers that Hawaiians use to make lei, the garlands placed around the necks of visitors to welcome them. I noticed that statues of local heroes were also adorned with lei during festivals. Plumeria flowers bloom on small trees or shrubs. They are gorgeous in full flower.

Sailboat at Kailua Bay, Hawaii - Tropicals #12

Every morning in Hawaii, sailboats head out from harbor.  In this watercolor sketch done on site, I painted  one of them just as it sailed out beyond the breakers. In this painting I wanted to capture the beautiful, ever-changing colors that are visible in the waters of Oahu's Kailua Bay: pale green, turquoise and deep blue.

See more seascape paintings in my Hawaii collection.

Hawaii Rainbow Watercolor Painting - Tropicals #11

There's a reason why the license plates in Hawaii bear the image of a rainbow. I have never seen so many rainbows in one place in such a short amount of time. Not only that, but they lasted for a very long time.
Here, when we are lucky to see one, it will generally fade after a few minutes. The really amazing ones might last all of five minutes. But on Oahu, rainbows would appear and 15 or 20 minutes later would be still going strong.

I was painting this scene one day when a rainbow appeared. Originally, I had not thought of adding one to this painting, but could not resist!
This painting is sold, but you can find other Hawaii seascapes here. Mahalo! Thanks for stopping by.

Surf at Waikiki Hawaii Watercolor Seascape - Tropicals #10

 

Every day from early morning until sunset, you can see a line of small dots out past the breakers in Oahu.  Hawaiians invented surfing and those dots are surfers waiting for the perfect wave. Because the temperatures are always in the 70s or low 80s, they are out there all year long I am told. Since I live in the land of skiing, I have never tried surfing, have you? It looks like a lot of fun! 

Hawaii seascape paintings

Scene from the Ilikai Marina, Honolulu, Hawaii - Tropicals #9

Ilikai Marina sits on the western edge of Waikiki.  I am told it is the site where the Skipper and crew of Gilligan's Island began their adventure.

Ilikai Marina

I painted this original watercolor from the 11th floor lanai (balcony) of the Ilikai Marina Condos looking down on the boats at anchor.

This piece was painted at a time of day when the sun was higher in the sky than in my early morning scenes. The stronger sunlight turned the water a bright shade of turquoise and created strong shadows and highlights making this a colorful painting!

"Ilikai Marina" original watercolor is available for sale in my Original Art Shop!

Boat at Harbor in Waikiki - watercolor painting Tropical 8

"Harbor at Waikiki" original watercolor

This original impressionist painting of an early morning scene, shows a boat harbored in a little cove on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.

I painted this scene very early one day looking out from the lanai (balcony) of the Ilikai Marina condo where we stayed. The colors are soft and muted since the day is new, but the breeze is strong. The palms tree fronds are rustling and swaying in the wind.

This painting is sold. If you like this scene, ask me about having a print or a similar painting created for you.

Turtle Bay North Shore Oahu, Hawaii - watercolor painting

"Turtle Bay" original watercolor is sold

The surf crashes in at Turtle Bay on the north shore of Oahu in this plein air painting.
I painted this impressionist watercolor on handmade paper while sitting on the beach overlooking this beautiful coral bay. An occasional misty rain gave a bit of a mottled look to the painting as I painted it, enhancing the texture already present from the handmade paper. So there is a bit of Hawaiian rain in this watercolor!

Honolulu, Hawaii - Ala Moana Park and Beach Cove - Tropicals # 6

From the 11th floor lanai of the Ilikai Marina Condo, I had a beautiful view east and west along the south shore of Oahu. Depending upon which direction I faced, there was always something new to paint.
This is the second time I painted this scene which includes portions of Ala Moana Park. It is painted on handmade paper so there is a lovely random textured effect in the far hills and sky.  Because I was looking out on an early morning scene as I painted, colors and contrasts throughout the painting are muted and a mist envelopes the distant hills. Perhaps you can see a couple of people who were strolling on the beach.

More Hawaii seascape paintings.

Mahalo! Thanks for visiting.

Hawaii Palm Trees, Surf and Surfer at Waikiki - Tropicals Collection #5

Everywhere there is surf, there are surfers on Oahu. In this painting which is #5 in my Tropicals Collection, a surfer stands by the sea ready to go out and catch some waves.
I painted this watercolor outdoors on site (en plein air).

Mahalo! Thanks for stopping by today.

 More Zeh Original Art Hawaii paintings.

Ala Moana Park, Honolulu - watercolor painting

Here we have an original impressionist watercolor on handmade paper of Ala Moana Park Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii - #3 in my Tropicals collection. I painted this scene looking towards the park from the 11th floor lanai, or balcony, of the Ilikai Marina Condominium.
The waves are breaking at a distance from shore above the coral reef. Due to the reef and clean white sand, the water is a gorgeous shade of turquoise blue.

Handmade paper has its benefits and its challenges. It requires a skilled brush because corrections cannot be made without ruining the surface of the paper.  But this very fact means that the piece cannot be overworked, so any successful painting is fresh. Little surprise elements from the irregular surface give it a handmade look.

See more Hawaii paintings.

Cove at Waikiki - seascape and palm trees original painting

Right on the western edge of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is a small sparkling cove that is shallow and just right for small children or anyone who does not want to brave the surf. Each morning, one can see joggers and walkers strolling or running on the walkways along the beach.

I painted this scene one morning looking towards the cove from the lanai (balcony) of the Ilikai Marina - 11th floor.

This painting is sold, but you can see more of my Hawaii paintings here.  Mahalo! Thanks for stopping by.

Kailua Bay Oahu Hawaii Watercolor Plein Air Beach Painting

I painted this lovely watercolor seascape at the beach. It was very windy since Kailua Bay is on the windward side of the island - the east coast. So all the colors in my little palette became full of sand no matter how hard I tried to shield them from the wind.

Actually, it did not matter that I was using sandy paints. Oahu's beach sand is incredibly clean and white which is partly why the colors of the water are so intense. As the paint dried, the wind blew the sand particles off the paper. You cannot tell there was sand there at all!

I am giving the original painting to my sister with whom I traveled. It is her favorite of those I've painted so far.

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The original watercolor is sold. Ask about having one painted especially for you. I can also make a print, contact me for sizes and prices.

Kailua Bay Oahu Hawaii Watercolor Plein Air Beach Painting

I painted this lovely watercolor seascape at the beach. It was very windy since Kailua Bay is on the windward side of the island - the east coast. So all the colors in my little palette became full of sand no matter how hard I tried to shield them from the wind.

Actually, it did not matter that I was using sandy paints. Oahu's beach sand is incredibly clean and white which is partly why the colors of the water are so intense. As the paint dried, the wind blew the sand particles off the paper. You cannot tell there was sand there at all!

I am giving the original painting to my sister with whom I traveled. It is her favorite of those I've painted so far. If you like this piece, ask about having one painted especially for you.

Pink Lei Flowers and Seascape Original Watercolor

 

The spirit of “Aloha” symbolized by lei welcomes visitors to the islands of Hawaii. In Hawaii,  garlands of flowers, lei, are placed around the necks of visitors. I painted this piece using as reference real lei of fresh tropical flowers.  I included the ocean and beach in the background  to indicate the shores of the island upon which a visitor traditionally arrives.

You can find more of my tropical paintings here.  Mahalo!

Hawaii Tropicals - a Seascape and Flowers Video

Aloha! Have you ever been to Hawaii? I just returned from my first trip there - a two week vacation on the island of Oahu, visiting relatives and friends and enjoying the ocean, mountains and island culture. We also took a side trip to the Big Island to see the volcanoes.

Fortunately, for me, the condo we rented on Oahu was overlooking the Ilikai Marina and we could look right down on the boats in the marina below, Waikiki Beach to the left and Ala Moana Park  to the right as well as a beautiful view of Honolulu.

Almost every morning, I sat on the lanai (which was an 11th floor balcony) and painted. Other times I brought my small palette, paints and brushes with me to paint on site. I took over 800 photographs to use for future reference. The12 paintings I did on site appear in the video below along with some of my photos.