Stone evokes many associations such as hardness, weight, massiveness, bulkiness, roughness etc. 
		The path to successful processing leads through the following characteristics: under certain 
		circumstances it can be very effective and successful to work with the very antithesis of the qualities of 
		stone. For example, I have juxtaposed the qualities of hardness and bulkiness to the creative process 
		resulting in transparency and fragility. Hollow spaces contrast with bulkiness and weight

		Over the past three years I have dealt primarily with negative, hollow spaces in connection with an 
		undefinable functionality. I have been inspired by many remnants of stone foundations of unknown 
		structures of ancient cultures as well as my collection of items of optics and precision tool manufacture. 
		The guiding principle for me is the more enigmatic the object, the more attractive it seems. I do not 
		specify the designation of these openings, ducts and funnels in my objects, I actually do not want to 
		know it myself.

		Pavel Opocensky, 1999

		"A cogent work of art is as haut cuisine; a distillation of the artist's feelings and observations which may 
		serve as sustenance for the ravenous connoisseur. The exquisite, nourishing reliefs of Roberto 
		Menchiari are so profoundly evocative of the Florentine streetscape that they comfortably replace the 
		need to visit that teeming and congested metropolis."       

		Ivan Karp, 1999

	
		Beginning a piece in my studio, I turn the thinking part of my brain off. I sit on the floor and let myself 
		play.

		I'm surrounded by my palette; things I have found that interest me. I don't care what they are or were 
		used for. They are shapes, lines or volumes I need to make a piece. When I get stuck, I know I don't 
		have the element in my studio. So I go out hunting for it. When I see it, I  know.

		I  initially compose a piece spontaneously using clips and clamps. Then I have to mechanically put it 
		together. This is when I do have to think and invent ways of joining opposing materials using hand tools, 
		bolts and screws.

		My process is as important as the final piece. After having sat with it and realizing what it means for 
		me, I am ready to let it stand on its own and speak its truth.

		Wheels, I use them, I don't know why, I like how they make me feel, what they mean, the shape. I 
		suppose I'll get over it some day.

		Ethel Poindexter, 1999

		Once the background texture of the piece is formed, I seek the natural reaction between the canvas 
		and all the other elements that will eventually come to create the painting. Harmony is of central 
		importance to my work and I am always trying to strike the proper balance between Yin and Yang 
		(beauty and chaos). Using the canvas as the earth, I allow the textural reaction and images depict the 
		experiences of a human being. I am simply searching for the answer to the question "what is 
		painting/truth?"

		Naoki Iwakawa, 1999

	
		My art is about people. I see them as being just as beautiful as everything in nature. The character of a 
		human being interests me greatly, especially the social aspect. I was born in a time of great upheavals: 
		wars, evacuations, and famine. I saw people standing in bread lines and parading before the elite. My 
		discovery is that, in a crowd, one loses individual character and absorbs the character of the group. I 
		find myself with an easel standing amidst this activity. I also can find myself in an apartment watching a 
		family. I may see them at the dining table, or maybe see only a woman with a child. I observe the quiet, 
		peaceful contemplation of the family and the congruity between the people in the setting.

		David Miretsky, 1999