Inspired by a life in nature, I paint with patience and precision to recreate the harmony of the landscapes I visit.
I create realistic oil paintings of Canada’s most memorable landscapes. My subjects range from the iconic peaks of the Rockies to the rugged shores of the Pacific, a land of towering mountains, snowy summits, glacier-fed rivers, pristine coastlines, and endless forests.
My artistic practice is based on the classical Flemish Method: a patient approach of layered paint application that yields depth, luminosity, and colour richness. This precise, attentive process means each piece evolves over months as multiple layers slowly bring the painting to life.
My work is born of time spent in nature and the sense of belonging that come from being present in the outdoors. I am particularly drawn to the story of water as it moves through Canada’s landscapes and seasons. From calm alpine lakes to breaking waves and tumbling mountain glaciers, water in its many states is both subject and storyteller: life giver, sculptor of form, and bearer of light. In my paintings I use water’s calming presence to centre viewers and touch something deep within us.
My aspiration is to bring the harmony and balance I see in nature into people’s everyday surroundings by offering viewers an entry point to the natural world.
Marcos Molina
Based in Banff, Alberta, Marcos Molina (b. 1977, Guatemala) is a traditional oil painter dedicated to creating landscape works that are true to nature. Working in the Flemish method of layered oil painting, Molina is best known for his detailed paintings of the Canadian Rockies and the mountains and coastlines of British Columbia.
The artist’s practice is rooted in over 20 years intimately experiencing the Canadian landscape in all its seasons: climbing remote summits, backpacking into distant valleys, and skiing on snowfields reached by helicopter. Having grown up in urban environments, Molina discovered a profound sense of freedom and belonging in the mountains of Banff; this experience informs his intent to convey nature’s harmony through his art.
Molina’s dedication to depicting the landscape faithfully sees him spending hours in nature, capturing photos and creating plein air studies, then patiently working in his studio to apply classical painting methods and principles of colour harmony to produce refined, realistic works. Water, in its many forms, is his most recurrent motif: glaciers, rivers, alpine lakes, and coastal surf serve as both subject and storyteller, lending a calming presence that touches something deep within us.
After several solo shows in Banff - Glaciers & Peaks (2020), Journey into the Mountains (2018) - Marcos Molina joined Mountain Galleries in 2022. He is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. He holds a Bachelor of Animation from Queensland College of Art (Brisbane, Australia) and is a graduate of the Vincent d’Indy Music School in Classical Piano (Montreal, QC). He continues to refine his studio practice while expanding into large-scale mural work.
A Mountain Galleries artist
Looking for a Marcos Molina original?
Collectors can acquire his studio works through Mountain Galleries in Banff, Jasper, and Whistler. Browse the gallery website for available originals or to request a commissioned piece.