Many people don't have relationships to their siblings in adulthood, or they have superficial ones. It's sort of unfashionable, particularly in America, to be close to your family.

It is very different when you age. The things that are significant, or what drives you, or the physical experience of being driven, changes over time.

When studio art started being seen as important, I joined Colab, and then I became very involved.

You start with a generic body, but I think the first wall you hit with portraiture is comprised of history and storytelling and the nature of characters - whether they are historical or coming from literature or documentation. Those are the references we have to people, besides your family, and the intimacy of portraiture is in the specifics of individuals. For me, it came out of doing things about animals.

I've been very lucky being in New York. While there are many things that have impacted my life, I have been able to stay here and do my own work.

Life really changes. And it gets lighter, for the most part. You tolerate yourself and others better.

I love flying buttresses!