Episode 103: Rick Petrea

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Savannah-based artist Rick Petrea, whose work spans painting, sculpture, ceramics, and collage. For over 30 years, Rick has explored figurative, expressionistic art, occasionally venturing into abstraction. His influences range from Willem de Kooning, Jean Dubuffet, and the CoBrA Group to comic books and outsider art, particularly by artists with schizophrenia.

In this episode, Kevin and Rick trace a life devoted to art; from growing up in Savannah to encounters with de Kooning in New York and Emilio Vedova in Venice. They discuss how books, politics, and military service shaped both his worldview and his practice, and how his work bridges Abstract Expressionism, outsider art, and contemporary expression.

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