From the exhibition Still Life: 1970s Photorealism:

Working in an extraordinarily realistic style, John DeAndrea makes sculptures that often trick the eye. To create Lissa Pregnant, DeAndrea took a series of casts of his then-wife when she was pregnant with the couple’s son. He combined the casts to make a complete human form, then toned the surface with pigments that imitated her skin, veins, and even goosebumps. He then added eyelashes, hair, and props like her clothing and the chair. This exhausted mother-to-be has none of the idealism we associate with life-size portrait sculptures—such as statues of historical figures that are often found in town squares. Instead, the sitter is surprisingly lifelike. The detail of DeAndrea’s technique draws our attention, but it is the frank humanity of the sitter that elicits our sympathy.