I was contacted by a longtime colleague, Gil Shuler—known to many of us as a kind of Graphic God—and asked to participate in a collaborative design project. The occasion: June 17, 2025, marking the 10-year anniversary of one of the most horrific racially motivated acts of violence in our state’s—and this country’s—history. The massacre of nine Black parishioners at Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston. This wasn’t abstract for me. One of those nine was Cynthia Hurd—a librarian, a quiet...

Over a decade ago, I found myself in a unique and somewhat unexpected position when I was commissioned by Gina Torres's husband, the renowned actor Laurence Fishburne, to create a portrait of his stunning wife as a special gift for their wedding anniversary. At the time, I did not view myself as a portrait artist, and in fact, I rarely accepted commissions for portraits. My artistic focus had always leaned more towards social and cultural targets. It was Greg Haynes, a longtime friend of mine...

I was deeply humbled and honored this past weekend to be invited to deliver the keynote address at the Pinning Ceremony for the University of California Irvine School of Nursing.