"If one knows my creative style, this 'breathing room for the spirit' is actually my true blessing once one of my illustrative paintings is finished. The breathing heals and alters my mind, body and spirit - the internal massage. No matter how small or grandiose ones studio space may be, while in the creative process there is always a view of an endless ocean, the high winds, and infinity. That is why I continue in this profession. Why else do it?"

-Sally Shaffer

"While many artists would agree with this bland statement, its opposite can also be true. Some great art is obsessively claustrophphobic. There is little room for breathing in a Francis Bacon portrait, and many of the early modernist's works were received with horror, not sighs of content. Personally, I'm not looking to create an atmosphere in which Mr. Updike would be comfortable. I want a more complex and challenging view that takes your breath away and forces you to face the other - the unknown - and therefore consider something new and fresh, even if dark. I'm trying to create a new sensibility about Southwest art that is modern, abstract, yet real. One that shows the Southwest as it is from my interior vision. I prefer art that not only surprises the viewer, but more importantly, surprises me."

-Steve Elmore