Artists statement written prior to his death January 29, 2022
I am a process artist. My work is based in realism although it may appear to be expressionistic or abstract at times. It is figurative, textural, raw, and earthy. My goal is to compel the viewer to look deeper into the work than the visual aspect. I want them to evaluate the process that created it. It is constantly evolving method of discovery and invention. In each work there are elements which are carried over to the next and over time, a common thread emerges which ties the body of work together. Like a sentence developing into a paragraph, a paragraph into a chapter, and chapters into a book, allowing each stage to become a complete idea.
Bio
A proud alumnus of Ringling school of Art & Design in Sarasota, Spencer Pettit worked as an illustrator and graphic artist until 1985. He started a new creative chaper as an art director at two Orlando advertising agencies for the next 10 years. After that he founded two art galleries.
Growing up on the Southside of Chicago he was drawn to art since he was 10 years old. Life magazine had published a special issue on Picasso to coincide with the unveiling of an untitled Picasso sculpture commissioned for Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on August 15, 1967. The work stood 50 feet tall and weighed more than 160 tons. From that moment, he began to understand that art could be boundless. It could take on many forms and contain narratives based on deeply personal associations he would make throughout my life. Spencer Pettit believed that making art is a continuing act of discovery and establishes the conditions for others to look deeper into the world.
During his college years, he apprenticed with artist Thornton Utz. After graduating from Ringling in 1979 he worked as an Illustrator and Graphic Artist for the Orlando Sentinel until 1985. He spent the next 10 years running his own advertising agency, Spencer Pettit & Associates, and then working as an art director with two other Central Florida advertising agencies. His job as an art director overlapped with his personal pursuits as a fine artist, and he began exhibiting work throughout Central Florida including at the Orlando Museum of Art, Crealde School of Art and the Marie Ferrer Gallery, both in WInter Park. While still producing his own work, he opened two art galleries in Mount Dora — Chiaroscuro and Three-Legged Dog, exhibiting the works of local and nationally known artists.
Spencer's artistic vision continues to be displayed in private collections through the United States and as well as boutique lifestyle stores and public galleries. Before his passing he was selected as an Arts on Douglas catalog artist, which features original artwork by prominent Florida artists.
His wife Heather McPherson manages his portfolio of more than 500 never exhibited works and will soon attach his catalog to this site, showcasing his complete works.
Proceeds from the sale of Spencer Pettit's artwork help fund scholarships to cover art supplies for Ringling students with financial need and maintain the Spencer Pettit Memorial Art Camp Scholarship Fund at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach.
Exhibition inquiries: info@spencerpettit.art.
Past Exhibitions
Arts on Douglas, New Smyrna Beach
March 6 - April 10, 2021: Prints & Plates
June 4 - July 30, 2022: Elusiveness & Illusion in Contemporary Art
Orlando City Hall Terrace Gallery
November 1, 2021 - January 28, 2022: Spencer Pettit - The Process is the Destination
Mount Dora Center for the Arts
August 12 - September 23, 2022: The Art of Spencer Pettit