I moved around a lot when I was a child; two of the houses I grew up in have totally disappeared. One was burnt in a riot, and the other was pulled down.

For a while, I was nervous about portraying women because of the objectification that automatically comes with it, whether the artist intends or not.

Being a black artist, the first thing people want to talk about is your blackness, the importance of your blackness and your black presence.

I've always felt the portrait is an occasion for marks to happen. I've never viewed the portrait as about the sitter. Even when I go to the National Portrait Gallery, I'm not thinking about the sitter; I'm thinking about how the artist chose that color or that highlight. It becomes about the time, place, and context.

It is hard to produce work in New York. You kind of have to center yourself - do some Zen meditation exercises and just focus. It is very distracting, and money, of course, is an issue.

I dont think about race before I start drawing. I think about how to make that mark to fit whatever purpose I need it to fulfill.

The graphic style itself is influenced by a lot of very layered and detailed comics that I read as a kid, like Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue.