Nani Honu — Original Silver Lining Watercolor

Nani Honu is a playful meeting of water, pattern, tropical color, and one of my favorite subjects to paint: the honu.

Nani in the Hawaiian language carries meanings associated with beauty, splendor, and glory, while honu means turtle—a name that felt fitting for this colorful celebration of one of the islands’ most beloved ocean inhabitants.

From across the room, Nani Honu feels colorful, joyful, and full of movement. Up close, all of the smaller patterns, flowers, lines, and details begin to reveal themselves.

Origin & Inspiration

Nani Honu grew out of an earlier turtle painting I had created.

That first piece was a somewhat more realistic tattoo & tribal-inspired honu surrounded by watery blues and stylized fish. I loved the direction it was taking me, and the painting sold almost immediately while it was hanging at the CrossFit gym where I was coaching at the time.

Instead of simply recreating it, I wanted to see how much further I could take the idea.

I painted the honu with transparent watercolor, filling her with tropical florals, curling wave forms, and brilliant washes of orange, red, green, and blue. I then surrounded her with a luminous field of stylized water created with reflective blue gemstone watercolors and patterns inspired by Pacific Island art and design. Metallic silver linework travels throughout the composition, defining the intricate shapes while catching and reflecting the light as you move around the painting.

I enjoyed bringing these elements and joyful colors together with the Honu.

And apparently I’m not the only one.

Over the past year at my gallery, Kaua‘i Christie’s Art, Nani Honu has become one of my three best-selling images in cards and prints and, by far, the most purchased image from my Silver Lining Series.

That surprised me—and I love discovering which paintings people form their own connection with.

About My Silver Lining Series

My Silver Lining Series began with an unexpected challenge in watercolor that ultimately pushed me toward something new.

Drawing from my years of tattooing, I began combining transparent watercolor with metallic silver ink, bringing precise linework into the loose and sometimes unpredictable movement of watercolor.

The silver gives me another visual language to work with. It can define shapes, create rhythm and structure, or disappear subtly into the painting until the light catches it.

That changing light is especially noticeable in Nani Honu. Depending on the angle and illumination, the metallic details can appear pale and subtle, distinctly silver, or brightly reflective.

It also means that no single photograph can completely capture what the original looks like in person. The painting changes subtly as the light—and the viewer—moves around it.

The name Silver Lining eventually came to represent more than the materials for me, too. It became a reminder that unexpected challenges can sometimes lead us somewhere we never would have discovered otherwise.

Framing & Presentation

Nani Honu is professionally framed in a substantial warm, dark wood frame with a light taupe woven fabric-wrapped liner, a gold-toned metallic inner fillet, and acrylic glazing.

The neutral earth tone of the woven liner gives the highly detailed watercolor space to breathe while allowing the blues, greens, oranges, and reflective silver within the artwork to remain the focus.

The artwork arrives professionally framed and ready to display.

Artwork Details

Title: Nani Honu
Artist: Christie Marie Elder
Created: 2013
Series: Silver Lining Series
Medium: Transparent watercolor with metallic silver ink on watercolor paper
Artwork Size: 18" × 14"
Framed Size: 27.25" × 21.25" × 1.4"
Framing: Professional warm wood frame with light taupe woven fabric-wrapped liner and gold-toned metallic inner fillet
Glazing: Acrylic
Original: One of One
Price: $7,000

 

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Artist Signature & Documentation

Signature: Signed by Christie Marie Elder on the front.

Each original artwork includes a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) together with an artist biography for provenance and collector records.

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Copyright

© Christie Marie Elder. All rights reserved.

Purchase of the original artwork transfers ownership of the physical artwork only. Copyright and reproduction rights remain with the artist and do not transfer with the sale.

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Shipping & Delivery

Kauaʻi: Complimentary gallery pickup or local delivery is available for original artwork purchases.

Off-Island & International Collectors: Because each original artwork requires specialized packing and fully insured transport, shipping is quoted individually based on the artwork and destination.

Before purchasing, please click the “Request a Shipping Quote” button on this page and complete the short form with your delivery address. We’ll arrange the appropriate professional packing and insured transport, then contact you with the complete shipping quote.

Once you approve the quote, we’ll send you a secure invoice through our online gallery for the artwork and shipping.