Jette Reinert’s Paper-to-Canvas Rituals and the Origins of Her Visual Language

Transmission 233: Interview with Jette Reinert

Renowned for her surrealist-inspired, whimsical paintings, Jette Reinert is a captivating mixed-media artist. Raised in a creatively nurturing household where her mother was a painter, she showed an early interest in art, experimenting with drawing and sketching. She received early training in oil painting, impressionistic landscape painting, and clay sculpting in Viborg from Danish artist Lasse Winsløw. Though she had aspirations to work in the creative arts, she was instead led to graphic design, where she flourished for many years. She resumed painting on weekends in the early 2000s, and by 2012–14, she was enrolled in classes at the Aarhus Academy of Art and had embraced mixed-media fine art as her full-time passion. Her creative approach sets her apart: she starts with unintentional coffee stains on paper, which serve as impromptu starting points. These stains are then painstakingly traced, adorned with metallic accents and black paint, and transferred onto linen canvases to create fanciful compositions. Her distinctive use of gilding, checkerboard patterns, and colorful figures—animals, heavenly dancers, and fantastical creatures—evokes a tension between chaos and order, imagination and whimsy.

Her work has been described as a “fresh, fantastic escape into a metallic, checkerboard realm… absurdly entertaining,” where “fable creatures, cosmic dancers, star birds and sky jockeys” invite viewers into a joyful narrative world. Her colorful artworks have been shown across Europe and the United States, including on a large Times Square billboard in New York, achieving international attention. They have been featured in magazines such as ArtMaze Magazine and Beautiful Bizarre, as well as in juried and curated shows at the Aarhus Art Academy (2012) and the Hans-Christian Andersen Festival (2013, 2015). Jette Reinert’s captivating combination of accident and intention—coffee stains transformed into imaginative stories—serves as a striking reminder that creativity flourishes when chance and imagination collide. Serendipity is an important starting point in her creative process, resulting in whimsical, luminous, dreamlike settings and symbolism that celebrate happiness, spontaneity, and the unexpected.

Jette Reinert’s official site | Instagram | Facebook

What originally drew you to art? Can you share how you became interested in drawing and painting?

I grew up with a mother who drew and painted, so it was always a natural part of my life. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember – starting with coloring books, and at some point, I got my own canvas and brushes. I clearly remember painting a portrait of my boyfriend, and it actually turned out quite well! For many years, pencil and charcoal dominated. Later, I got caught up in working on the computer and forgot all about drawing and painting – until I met a friend who painted. That reignited my interest, and it felt amazing to return to a craft I truly love.

Which piece of artwork or artist inspired you the most as a child? What are your favourite childhood memories related to art?

I didn’t experience a lot of art as a child, but I vividly remember a door-to-door seller who brought paintings. Up close, you couldn’t really see what they depicted – but when you stepped back, the image appeared like a little miracle. My mom once painted a cliffside, and the effect was the same. My grandmother had a painting that changed expression depending on the light, and I was completely fascinated by it! That’s actually what I love about using metal leaf in my own work – how the expression changes with the light and angle.

You have a unique style. How has your personal approach to your art evolved over time, and were there any specific moments or influences that significantly shaped your artistic vision?

As a child, I drew women and horses – later mostly portraits, both drawn and painted. When I started painting again, I painted quirky houses in a somewhat illustrative style – unaware that a Danish artist was already known for similar work. After that came Faroese landscapes and random motifs I stumbled upon: a chair, broken porcelain, my daughter’s shoes. I was searching for a direction but didn’t find the red thread.

Then I started splattering and spraying on paper – and funny, organic shapes emerged. That became the start of something new. A gallerist once told me I was ahead of my time – no one understood my images! Later I spent a year at the Art Academy in Aarhus, where I learned many great techniques, but I lost myself along the way. It took a year before I found Jette again.

A turning point came when a gallery called for works in the format 25×25 cm. I created small pieces with organic forms and abstract splashes – and the precursor to the coffee stain was born. The works didn’t make much of a splash at that first exhibition – but after that, things began to move.

You have experience with painting, drawing, and graphic design. How do these different creative expressions come together in your artistic practice, and what drives you to explore them all?

I enjoy sketching before painting – though it can sometimes make things too controlled. I have to remind myself to let the stain guide me, not the desire for “normal.”

Graphic elements also play a big role in my work. I use many patterns – especially my checkerboards, which have become a signature. It’s a mix of graphic design, drawing, and painting – and I think others with a graphic design background will recognize that.

My experience with design also helps with structure – meeting deadlines, planning exhibitions. There’s a joy in the order of graphic work and the freedom in art. I love being able to combine both.

Can you walk us through your creative process? How long does it take from the concept idea to the finished piece?

Two years ago, I started working in series when it comes to my large paintings. For me, the works form a cohesive whole – but each one can stand alone for the viewer. It gives a great working flow, and it’s exciting to see a series evolve and come together.

I usually start with a story – often something from my own life. I make notes for each piece, then find or create coffee stains – I make sure to have at least 15–20 good ones to choose from. Then I match the right stain to the right idea, and the motifs arise from my notes and the shape of the stain. If the form doesn’t quite fit, I may adjust it slightly.

When all the stains and sketches are ready, I prepare backgrounds on 2–4 canvases – the ones I’ll begin with. I transfer the stain, including the small splashes, then outline it in black. The motif is drawn in white, painted in white, shadows are added, and the form develops in layers of white, grey, and black. Only then do I begin to think about color and metal leaf.

Even if several canvases are prepared, one painting often takes over – and I finish it before starting the next.

A key element in my work is: you have to see the beauty in the imperfect. That has become my statement – especially when I paint three- or five-legged horses or people with uneven arms and legs.

Your  distinctive, eccentric, captivating pieces, across multiple forms, involve the use of coffee, which you spill on paper and then later transfer to canvas. This adds to your visual artworks also a ritual performance. What is it about combining these approaches that allows you to fully express yourself?

Working with a coffee stain – or a black splash – gives me a form to respond to. It’s an organic shape full of energy, which already gives the piece something from the start. It sets boundaries, but it also gives freedom I wouldn’t get from a blank canvas.

As I mentioned earlier, sometimes a horse ends up with three or five legs. The people I paint rarely have equal limbs either. That’s part of the quirky look I love.

At first, I was very strict – I didn’t allow myself to add anything to the stain, so many otherwise beautiful ones went unused. Now I let myself add a line or two if needed to balance the image.

These stains – whether made with coffee or black paint – offer so much. It’s a bit like lying on your back, watching clouds and seeing all the imagined shapes in them. That’s what the stains are like – they kickstart your imagination. It’s a great way to begin!

Your artwork radiates dynamism, curiosity, a joy in exploring new realities, and a special sensitivity. How does your personal vision reflect and resonate a global awareness in your art?

The dynamism in my work comes from the energy of the stain – it starts something in me and in the viewer. I’ve seen people stand in front of my paintings for a long time, just taking them in – and often they begin to smile.

When I saw that for the first time at an exhibition in 2013, I decided that if my art could make people smile and feel joy, then that would be my mission. A lot of hard things happen in the world – so being able to feel something good through art matters. That applies to everyone, no matter where they come from.

Reflecting on your career, is there a particular piece of your art that has a meaningful story? Would you like to share it with us?

It’s hard to choose, because I feel connected to many of my works – but one stands out especially in my heart: “Hele min verden” (“My Whole World”) from a 2023 series.

The painting shows a mother and her son, and it still moves me deeply. There are other works in that series that touch me too – because they’re based on very personal experiences. That gives them a special meaning – for me, and hopefully for those who view them.

Photos and images courtesy of Jette Reinert

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.