Jon Pestoni (b. 1969, St. Helena, California) is an American abstract painter whose work is defined by its dense layering of compositional strategies and painterly techniques. Drawing on geometric forms, figuration, graphic motifs, and Abstract Expressionism, Pestoni merges multiple visual languages into unified yet often contradictory compositions. His surfaces incorporate a wide range of marks—including drips, splatters, thick impasto, and dry brushstrokes—applied with varying levels of transparency.

Pestoni’s paintings examine the evolving possibilities of abstraction, engaging both with the traditions of the medium and the expressive role of the artist’s hand. His process embraces imperfection and uncertainty, allowing each work to emerge through repeated acts of revision and disruption. “I don’t necessarily know how to finish a painting except by repeatedly trying to,” Pestoni has said. “I try to introduce problems into my practice.”

He received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992 and his MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1996.

Available Works