• Sanctuary original artwork Hawaii humpback whale watercolor by Christie Marie Elder
  • Sanctuary Hawaii , Maui Whale Tail Artwork watercolor art professionally framed with navy and white matting
  • Professionally framed original watercolor art depicting a humpback whale tail surfacing in Hawaiian blue water with green mountains in the background, hung on a light gray wall above a wooden bench with white cushions.
  • A close-up of original watercolor painting of a whale tail and ocean water, with blue and white splashing water and a dark whale body visible above the surface.
  • Watercolor landscape Maui Hawaii painting of a mountain range with a ocean in the foreground, featuring muted greens, blues, and grays.
  • Close-up of a framed and matted artwork showing blue ocean waves and part of a dark whale, alongside vertical color/material samples including a dark navy blue matting and white matting and a warm brown wood grain frame.
  • Sanctuary Maui Hawaii whale tail watercolor in progress showing preserved white paper and first layers of the watercolor washes
  • Christie Marie Elder with Sanctuary original watercolor smiling at an art show next to a large framed painting of a whale and mountains, with paint supplies and another easel in the background.
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Kauai Christie's Art

Sanctuary — Original Humpback Whale Watercolor

Sanctuary — Original Humpback Whale Watercolor

$30,000.00 USD
$30,000.00 USD
Sale Sold out

Sanctuary

A humpback whale lifts its fluke above the waters off Lahaina, framed by Maui’s mountains beyond and the shifting reflections of sky and sea.

I painted Sanctuary in 2016, years before I would eventually make Hawaiʻi my home. At the time, Maui lived strongly in my imagination. I dreamed from a young age of someday moving to the islands and opening an art gallery on Front Street in Lahaina—then one of Hawaiʻi’s most celebrated art destinations.

This painting was created from that dream.

I have always felt a deep fascination with the creatures of the ocean and with the enormous world that exists beneath its surface. There is something humbling about sharing this planet with animals whose lives unfold largely beyond our view. Through my art, I find myself continually reaching toward that connection—wanting to know the ocean more deeply, to feel a relationship with the life within it, and to become a better steward of the natural world wherever I can.

Years after Sanctuary was painted, the devastating Lahaina fire changed the meaning of this piece for me in a way I could never have anticipated. What began as a painting inspired by a place I dreamed of someday becoming part of now also holds a memory of Lahaina as I knew and imagined it then.

For me, Sanctuary remains a painting about reverence, hope, belonging, and the pull toward Hawaiʻi that began long before I knew where that dream would eventually lead.

Traditional Watercolor — With an Unexpected Luminosity

Sanctuary is grounded in the traditions of transparent watercolor painting.

No white paint was used anywhere in the painting. The luminous whites seen in the whale, cascading water, reflections, and spray come from the watercolor paper itself.

Many of these areas were carefully preserved throughout the painting process, including passages protected while transparent layers of color were built around them. Selected foreground sparkles were traditionally revealed back through carving the painted surface, allowing flashes of the white paper to become part of the movement and energy of the water.

This demanding approach requires the brightest areas of the composition to be considered from the beginning rather than painted back in afterward.

Mineral and semi-precious gemstone pigments are also layered throughout areas of the water and reflected light. As illumination changes, these pigments catch subtle shifts of color and shimmer, adding an unusual dimensional quality to the surface.

The effect is difficult to fully capture in photography. In person, the luminosity enhances the illusion of depth—the whale appears to move forward from the surface while the reflective ocean stretches back toward the distant mountains.

It is one of those rare pieces whose depth, luminosity, and shifting surface can only be fully experienced in the original — the kind of unique magic no reproduction can completely capture.

 

Artwork Details

Original Watercolor · One of One

Title: Sanctuary
Artist: Christie Marie Elder
Created: 2016
Medium: Watercolor with mineral and semi-precious gemstone pigments
Subject: Humpback whale off Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi
Artwork Dimensions: 22" H × 30" W
Framed Dimensions: approximately 31" H × 41" W × 1" D

Framing

Professionally presented in a warm-toned wood frame with deep navy and crisp white matting, selected to complement the rich blues of the ocean and the dark tones of the humpback whale.

Glazed and ready to hang.

Artist Signature & Documentation

Signature: Signed by Christie Marie Elder.

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

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.

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.

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