By devoting his efforts to fine art, Pettit was able to study privately with several notable artists who influenced his direction and technique. He went on to study at the Schuler School of Fine Art in Baltimore, Maryland, a school devoted to the teachings of Jacques Maroger, author of "The Secret Formula and Techniques of the Old Masters." Maroger was a restorer at the Louvre and painting theoretician who developed a rich, luminous medium similar to that used by the 17th century Flemish Masters. This painstaking procedure consists of making black oil and mastic varnish, and grinding raw pigments combined with the use of the linen canvas primed with white lead. Pettit feels this classic training has been invaluable to his ability to achieve a paint quality and luminosity rarely seen in today's art.

The primary subject of Pettit's oils is the panoramic American landscape. Combining his own style with that of the Flemish painters and utilizing custom mediums to create vast dimensions, he brings the great outdoors inside with sensitivity and skill. Pettit demonstrates a unique link between classic and modern in his landscape, still life and European paintings. Pettit has received national recognition through numerous successful one-man and group exhibitions. His paintings are represented by several prestigious galleries throughout the country and his work is in constant demand by some of the most discriminating art collectors around the world.

Mark Pettit currently lives near Ridgeway, Colorado, where he finds the Colorado Rockies and inspirational atmosphere in which to live and work. In the last several years, he has been traveling more to Europe, spending many months in Italy painting the Tuscan countryside and the canals of Venice. He paints outdoors whenever possible for he feels the direct relationship with nature is the most important element in an artist's learning process.