jane swavely: painting in color

Light, scale, and space:

Accompanying Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s, the exhibition Painting in Color features four contemporary artists whose work continues the tradition of abstraction into the 21st century. Heather Hutchison (b. 1964), Joseph Marioni (1943–2024), Jane Swavely (b. 1959), and John Zurier (b. 1956) explore color, light, scale, and space in artworks that foreground visual perception and invite quiet reflection.

Like Olitski, who envisioned color suspended in the air like a fine mist, these artists explore painterly techniques to express visual and tactile experiences drawn from the natural world. Employing innovative approaches to painting, their works heighten sensory awareness, sharpen how we see, and invite new ways of looking. Together, the artists in Painting in Color advance the legacy of Jules Olitski’s spray paintings and affirm the lasting energy of color and abstraction.