# From motivational idea to inspired mixed media painting - Link: https://www.reekersart.com/from-motivational-idea-to-inspired-mixed-media-painting/ - Published: 2026-07-25T00:44:24+00:00 - Author: reekersart Every painting begins with observation. Not simply observing a place, but allowing it to settle into psyche long enough that it begins to motivate. What remains isn’t just a mind’s image, but its experience. [[ This journey began during a late afternoon painting session overlooking Crystal Cove near Laguna Beach. The sun was disappearing allowing the sky to slowly shift from warm evening light into the cool darkness of dusk. What held my attention wasn’t simply the landscape itself, but the dramatic conversation between light and shadow, warmth and coolness, and the quiet transition from one moment of painting during the day into another ambiance once finished with the plein-air. I completed a plein-air painting on location, but I knew it was just the beginning of the aesthetic journey. [[ Back in the studio I created a pastel based on both the original painting and photograph I had taken. The pastel wasn’t intended to copy the plein-air study. Instead, it allowed memory to become part of the drawing. Pastel encouraged richer color, stronger contrasts, and a heightened sense of atmosphere. It became less about recording what I had seen and more about expressing what I had experienced at the location, but also as I was drawing the pastel motif. That process of reinterpretation isn’t new to me. Years ago, while developing my Shipley Series, I realized that returning to the same subject repeatedly revealed something unexpected. Every version solved different visual problems while opening new possibilities. My years as an aerospace engineer also influenced this way of thinking. Engineering often required breaking complex systems apart before rebuilding them into something stronger. Today I find myself approaching painting in much the same way. The landscape becomes an idea to explore rather than a scene to duplicate. [[ At this point I combined the photograph, the plein-air painting, and the pastel digitally—not to let the computer create the artwork, but to test visual relationships. Much like making compositional sketches or value studies, this digital stage allowed me to discover new directions before returning to the handmade mark-making process. The resulting image became a starting point, not the destination. [[ From there I transferred the image onto archival Arches watercolor paper using my gelli printing process. Layers of monoprinting, acrylic, pastel, and stencil mark- making gradually transformed the surface. Each layer concealed something while revealing something else. Rather than covering previous decisions, every stage remained visible, allowing the painting to record its own history. (You can see this process in the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@rreekers.) The final mixed media painting is not a copy of the photograph or even the original plein-air study. It is another step in the conversation. What excites me most about this process is that every medium asks different questions. Oil painting, pastel, printmaking, mixed media—even digital exploration—each reveals possibilities the others cannot. The subject remains familiar, yet every interpretation teaches me something new about painting, perception, and expression. That’s why I think of my work as ideas expressed through different mediums. The medium changes, but the exploration continues. See the And perhaps that’s the greatest lesson I’ve learned. An artwork is rarely an ending. It’s simply the point where one idea has become clear enough to suggest the next one. Crystal Cove may yet become another oil painting, a woodblock print, or an etching. I honestly don’t know. That’s part of the joy. I’d love to hear how others experience this creative process. Have you ever returned to the same subject only to discover something entirely new? Or, if you’re curious about any part of my process—from plein-air painting to digital exploration to mixed media—please leave a comment or send me a message. Some of my favorite conversations have begun with a simple question. Crystal Cove Pleinair: http://www.reekersart.com/product/evening-light-at-crystal-cove-original-plein- air-landscape-oil-painting Crystal Cove Pastel: > [Crystal Cove Set_pastel](https://www.reekersart.com/product/crystal-cove-set_pastel/) Crystal Cove Mixed media: > [Crystal Cove Re-Imagined](https://www.reekersart.com/product/crystal-cove-re-imagined/) Follow my Mixed Media processes on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@rreekers](https://www.youtube.com/@rreekers) Watch my artistic journey on [Instagram @ronreekers](https://www.instagram.com/ronreekers/). You can also explore my thoughts regarding the relationship between Fine Art, Aerospace Engineering, and lifelong creative practice through my [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-reekers-812a8147/) profile. For additional studio insights, behind-the-scenes artwork development, and ongoing creative projects, visit my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/c/ronreekers) page.