"A level of abstraction in the figure allows the viewer to experience the emotional impact in a universal way, without concern for a specific identity. Brush or knife strokes are more important to me than representational detail. I like the tension between the sense of paint and surface on one hand and the illusion of form and depth on the other. I try to make my subject matter look like it’s been chiseled from stone and yet alive and breathing, a contrast that I find beautiful and exciting.” — Andrea Petitto