Oxytocin II Painting

Jane Petito’s painting practice focuses on contemporary landscapes in oil. Her visual language is inspired by perceptions of light in the natural world. Expressing memory and emotion around a moment in time, her work aims to balance abstraction and representation, and brings into question the perception of reality versus the ideal. Petito’s use of semi-transparent layers of pigment, as well as the additive-reductive process allow for uncontrolled moments of beauty on the canvas. Referencing the Tonalism movement, her atmospheric paintings provide a spatial threshold for solitude, and attempt to contain the infinite expanse where sky, sea, and earth meet. She finds particular inspiration from Mark Rothko, William Turner, and Agnes Martin. Her work can be found in private collections across the U.S. and Canada. Petito’s Big Sur series has been featured in House and Garden magazine and has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Saatchi Art. The artist works out of her studio in Gig Harbor, Washington.