For Marcos Molina who spends much of his time surrounded by mountains, inspiration is never far away. Every ridgeline, reflection, and shift in light presents another possibility for a painting, while the changing seasons offer an endless range of colour and atmosphere to explore.

The finished works may appear effortless, but behind each landscape is a highly considered process. From detailed ink sketches and carefully chosen colour palettes to layers of oil paint built up over months, every element is thoughtfully developed.

We caught up with Marcos to learn more about the ideas, techniques, and decisions that shape his approach to painting the landscape.

What usually sparks the beginning of a new work for you: an image, an idea, a place, a feeling or something different?   

I’m always in the mountains (or in the ocean when I’m on vacation) and I see paintings wherever I go! Staring at nature’s masterpieces, I always imagine myself painting them, tracing the outlines in my head as I look up at a ridgeline or a mountain reflection on a lake. 

There are so many scenes that I would like to paint so the hardest part is deciding which one to paint next. In the current phase of my art career, I want to paint as many lighting and colour palettes as possible, to discover the landscape in all its seasons, and to develop my understanding of natural colour harmony to the maximum. 

While I do come back and paint certain mountains repeatedly, I try to find new angles or colour patterns. Not sticking to a formula keeps things interesting and allows me to have the same sense of adventure in painting that I do when venturing out into the mountains.

How would you describe the way your creative process develops from the initial idea to the finished piece?   

I’ll look at my photo library and develop some sketches from multiple reference photos. I’ll often change the season or time of day of when the photos were taken, based on what colour palette I feel like exploring. Drawing a detailed sketch allows me to get to know the landscape intimately, and to understand the main three-dimensional shapes within a scene. This gives me a good idea of how light will hit those objects, and where the shadows will fall.   

Once I’m happy with a detailed ink sketch, I will do a small colour study to determine the light quality I want to set. I try to work with a limited selection of colours to maintain colour harmony. My recent plein air trips don’t directly inform my studio works, but they help me get a better understanding of colour theory, which in turn helps me with my choice of palette.   

I then paint my works using the Flemish method of oil painting, also known as the Old Masters method. It is an indirect method painting, that is built up in multiple opaque and transparent layers to arrive at the finished work. Most paintings have between 6-8 layers and take a couple of months from start to finish.   

I prime (gesso) and (wet) sand my art boards to a real smooth finish, ideal for detailed brushwork. I work mainly with hardboard or birch panels, although I have painted the odd piece on canvas. After toning the surface, the first layer is the imprimatura, usually done as thin wash with burnt sienna. The next step is the grisaille (or dead layer), usually done with a mixture of burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and titanium white. Layers must dry completely before moving onto the next phase. The ‘fat over lean’ rule also needs to be strictly followed, as this can cause cracking in the painting if not done correctly. These first few layers focus on getting the composition and values right. Once the true colour layers start, the focus then shifts to getting the right hues for a natural colour harmony and adding highlights and details where needed.   

Once the painting is complete, many times it will need to be oiled out, to correct places where some pigments may appear sunken in. After another few days of drying, the painting is then ready to be varnished (I use Gamvar gloss).

What role do colour, texture, and composition play in creating the mood of your work?   

Colour and composition play the biggest roles in setting the mood of a painting. The composition tells the story of the ‘characters’ of a scene (mountains, clouds, glaciers, lakes), balancing each other harmoniously to create an inviting setting that the viewer can step into. Colour tells the story of the season and the time of day, and when done right, it really adds a special magic to the painting. Paint texture doesn’t currently play a big role in my paintings: the smooth and detailed brushwork leans on value and linework to create the depth and ‘texture’ that is otherwise achieved by “thicker” painting styles.     

Is there a particular part of your process where the work tends to change direction or surprise you?   

Painting landscapes forces the artist to make choices on what’s important. There are so many elements in nature and it’s essential to distill them into something that is easy to understand. Providing too much visual information can be too overwhelming for the viewer, and that is something I was guilty of at the beginning of my art journey, as I used to paint everything in really great detail. Where I get surprised these days, is that after the initial sketch, I think that a particular element is going to be the most important part of the scene…but once creating the grisaille layer, I get a better understanding of how the light source is hitting various parts of the scene. This sometimes makes me change course in determining the focal part of the piece - what I originally thought would be the focal point ends up playing a secondary role. I love those moments where I let go of my original plans to allow for something better to evolve.   

What do you hope viewers notice or experience when they spend time with your work in person?  

I hope viewers experience a real sense of place when they see my paintings. To feel like they have a window to the natural world, where they can take their time enjoying a sunset, discovering big mountain peaks, or finding a moment of solace looking at a calm alpine lake. I hope my paintings remind people of the joy of spending time in beautiful places.

Through a combination of careful observation, traditional technique, and a willingness to let the painting evolve, Marcos Molina's works becomes more than a depiction of a particular place. The landscapes invite us to slow down and consider the light, colour, and atmosphere of the natural world.

Ultimately, the hope is that viewers experience that same sense of discovery and connection - the feeling of standing somewhere beautiful and simply taking it all in.

Explore the Marcos' collection at Mountain Galleries and discover more of his landscape paintings online.