Plein Air · Watercolour · Landscape

Light caught in the open air

Original watercolour paintings created on location — capturing fleeting light, atmosphere, and the living landscape.

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News & Events

Exhibition Opening
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13FEB-15MAR 2026

《SUNSkETcher | 夕日生 》Watercolour Solo Exhibition

This exhibition is organized by “Love Like Breeze”, with thanks to “Storytelling” Café in Peng Chau for providing the exhibition venue, and to Joy in Art, the professional art supplies company, for sponsoring the workshop materials, as well as all the friends of “Love Like Breeze” for their generous gift sponsorship. Over ten plein air paintings created at sunset will be on display, and outdoor sketching workshops will be held on the afternoons of 1/3 and 8/3, allowing friends of all ages to experience the joy of plein air painting.

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Plein Air Workshop Sai Kung
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13-20JAN 2026

The Hong Kong Quanzhou International Watercolor Touring Exhibition

This exhibition has invited more than 60 well-known watercolor painters in China. At the same time, there will be more than 200 exquisite works from well-known watercolor painters from more than 30 countries and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. As a touring exhibition in Hong Kong Station, this exhibition will also present the wonderful works of more than 40 domestic artists and watercolor lovers selected from Quanzhou and more than 100 local artists in Hong Kong. In order to reflect the communion of injury and health, art knows no borders, and the exhibition artists from many social welfare institutions will participate in the exhibition by hand. It can be said that it is a rare feast of watercolor art in Hong Kong in recent years.

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Hong Kong Watercolour Society 2025 Exhibition
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20-26Dec 2025

Hong Kong Watercolour Society 2025 Exhibition

From 20 to 26 December 2025, the exhibition will be held on the 4th floor of the Administration Building of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with more than a hundred pieces of artworks professionally selected by teachers and painters, as well as some watercolour demonstrations.

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Stay in the Loop

Plein Air Tips

By The Sea

Practical advice gathered from thousands of hours painting outdoors.

Paint the Light
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Observation

Paint the Light, Not the Object

Beginners often focus on painting what they know — a tree, a boat, a building. Instead, train your eyes to see the light falling on surfaces. Squint until detail disappears and only masses of tone remain. That contrast of light and shadow is the soul of a plein air painting.

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Work Fast
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Technique

Work Fast — Commit to Your First Marks

Outdoor light shifts every 20 minutes. Establish your key tones within the first 10 minutes and commit to them. Overworking a watercolour kills its freshness. Accept the happy accidents — a bloom, a backrun, a wet edge — they carry the energy of the moment far better than a laboured finish.

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Pack Light
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Kit & Setup

Pack Light, See More

A compact palette of 8–10 colours, a single round brush, a small block of paper and a water bottle is all you need. The lighter your kit, the further you walk — and the further you walk, the more unexpected compositions you discover. Simplicity forces creative decisions and frees you from the studio mindset.

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Chase the Golden Hour
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Light & Timing

Chase the Golden Hour

The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset bathe every surface in warm, directional light that flattens at midday. Plan your sessions around these windows — the long shadows, rich ambers, and glowing edges transform an ordinary scene into something luminous. Arrive early, mix your washes before the light peaks, and let the moment do the work.

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Read the Water
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Coastal

Read the Water Before You Paint It

Water is never one colour. Spend five minutes watching how it shifts — the dark trough of a wave, the silver flash at the crest, the turquoise shallows over sand. Paint water's behaviour, not its appearance. A few confident horizontal strokes with varied tone will always read more convincingly than a painstaking copy of every ripple.

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Leave the White of the Paper
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Watercolour

Leave the White of the Paper

In watercolour, white paint is a last resort. The brightest light in your painting — a sun-struck wall, a foam crest, a highlight on wet stone — should be reserved white paper. Plan these areas before your first wash and paint around them. Once lost, no amount of opaque white will recapture the luminosity of bare paper catching the light.

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Plein Air Locations

Recommended Spots

Hand-picked painting locations across Hong Kong — each offering remarkable light, composition, and atmosphere for outdoor watercolour work.

Spot 01

Tai O — Stilt House Village, Lantau

Hong Kong's most painterly fishing village. Weathered stilt houses over tidal channels, drying fish, and traditional wooden sampans create endlessly rich compositions in warm, muted tones.

Open in Google Maps →

Spot 02

Cheung Chau — Praya Harbour Front

The harbour front is alive with fishing junks, colourful sampans, and ferry traffic. The low morning light catches the painted hulls beautifully — arrive early before the crowds.

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Spot 03

Peng Chau — Village Lanes & Ferry Pier

One of Hong Kong's quietest outlying islands. Narrow lanes, old shop fronts, temple courtyards, and a small ferry pier make this an ideal full-day painting destination away from the city's pace.

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Spot 04

Tsim Sha Tsui — Avenue of Stars Waterfront

The best face-on view of the Hong Kong Island skyline. The harbour foreground, ferry wakes, and the towering glass cityscape beyond create a classic urban watercolour subject at any hour.

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Michael Ho — Plein Air Watercolour Painter

About the Artist

Painting the world as it breathes

Hello~ I'm Michael Ho, a Hong Kong–based watercolour painter devoted to plein air work. I paint on location, outdoors and from direct observation, chasing the shifting afternoon light across mountains, coastlines, and the city's edges.

My practice is rooted in the belief that working outside — in real weather, real light, real time — creates something a studio never can: a direct record of the present moment.

Beyond my own practice, I regularly hold exhibitions, live painting demonstrations, and watercolour workshops, often in collaboration with cafés, hotels, and community venues, to share the joy of painting from life and to bring art into everyday spaces.

20+
Countries Visiting
2000+
Plein Air Works
10+
Exhibitions

Get in Touch

Let's work together

Interested in collecting my original paintings, purchasing limited edition prints, exhibition collaborations, or workshops? I'd love to hear from you.

Email michaelhoartcs@gmail.com
Location Hong Kong
Instagram @michaelhoart Facebook Facebook
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