As an illustrator, a long-time Renton man gave The Walt Disney Company the first pictures of what became some of its best-known theme parks.

However, Ned Mueller considers that work little more than a way to pay for his true passion, fine art.

Possibly Renton’s best impressionist artist, Mueller plans to exhibit at the annual Arts and Antique Walk in downtown Renton.

“This is the love of my life, doing my fine art painting,” Mueller said, pointing to an easel with a street scene from Guatemala.

The 69-year-old likes traveling to foreign and exotic places, where he paints, explores and takes photos.

In his Renton studio, portraits of “interesting” faces from his travels fill the walls. Stacks of colorful photos wait to be transformed on a canvass.

He’s known to paint Plein Air, meaning outside. Natural to classic impressionists, the style tries to capture the light and the mood of a place.

“You can almost tell what time of the day it’s done,” he said, adding artists only have 2-3 hours to complete a work before the light changes.

Although he recently won a $5,000 first prize in Maryland for a Plein Air competition, don’t try to pigeonhole him to one focus.

“A great artist can paint anything,” he said.

Raised in Montana, Mueller has always had an appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors.

After high school, his father told him that if he wanted to be an artist, he needed to go to the best art school in the country, at the time it was the Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles.

He graduated in 1963.

In the 1960s, magazines and advertisers relied heavily on artists for illustrations. However, as camera technology grew, so did the media’s reliance on it.

Today most art students work heavily on computers, a thing Mueller would never consider, he said. “People like me are sort of dinosaurs.”

Moving to Renton 30 years ago, he continued his work with illustrations, getting a job with a New York-based industrial design company.

Through the company he created concept art for Boeing’s luxury airplane interiors including Air Force One and jets for Saudi kings and princes.

“I’ve done just about everything there is to do in the illustration art world,” he said, adding that he even did courtroom drawings for the Ted Bundy serial killer case.

Initially interviewing with Dreamworks, he accepted work from Disney, which allowed him to fly back and forth from his Renton home.

He was given photographs and a few building renderings and asked to create conceptual drawings for the company’s Tokyo Disney Resort, Animal Kingdom and California Adventures.

Architects would use his drawings to create their designs.

“In a way, it’s like I’m designing the park,” he said. “It was great work, and they paid me well.”

Though he would take another job from Disney, today he focuses on teaching from his home studio and traveling the country for art competitions and shows, including Seattle’s Frye Art Museum.

This will be the first year he’ll be in town for the Renton Art Walk.

Mueller plans to exhibit at 319 S. Third St., Renton with about 55 other local artists at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 28. He’s planning a painting demonstration from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

For more information about his classes, Mueller can be reached at nedmueller06@comcast.net.