Kevin Kirkwood sits down with William Ruller, an artist currently living and working in Apt, France.

William was born in Gloversville NY, 1981 received a B.A. in painting and ceramics from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 2007. Following his undergraduate degree, Ruller moved to Oregon where he worked as a production potter and ceramics instructor. In 2014 he received his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Ruller has been exhibited throughout Europe and the United States in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His painting has been featured in Friend of the Artist vol. 12, Whitewall Magazine, New American Paintings Issues 111, 124, and Studio Visit Magazine Issues 20, 21, 23. His work is in private collections such as Hyatt Hotel Corporation, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Museo Riso. 

@kevinwillpaint

@williamruller

Williamruller.com

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Keeana Heredia, an architectural designer based in Orlando, Florida. She thrives on exploring new ideas and techniques, always seeking fresh perspectives to bring her visions to life. An avid traveler, Keeana enjoys soaking up the architectural typologies of the places she visits, drawing inspiration from diverse styles and cultures. With strong leadership skills, she inspires those around her to push boundaries and embrace exciting projects that enhance and elevate the spaces they create. Her goal is to design environments that not only enhance functionality but also inspire those who experience them.

@kevinwillpaint

@kh_arch18

keeanaheredia.com

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Horatio Hung-Yan Law, a Portland, Oregon-based artist known for his community-centered approach to artmaking. His work is deeply place-based, reflecting his commitment to engaging with diverse communities to create collaborative installations and public artworks that explore the evolving concept of community in a globalized world.

Law’s art is deeply influenced by his Asian American identity and his experience as an immigrant. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he moved to the United States at age sixteen, a transition that informs much of his work today. Law earned his Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He further honed his craft in Florence, Italy, before completing his Master of Fine Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

@kevinwillpaint

@horatio.law.bw.photography

@urban_studies_by_horatio_law

@horatio.law.public.art

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Micah Kassell, born and raised in Silverton, Oregon, eventually made his way to Portland to pursue a life of multifaceted creativity in music, design, and, more recently, painting and drawing. Raised by a creative father, Kassell has always sought to infuse his work with a sense of whimsy, sarcasm, and a touch of wry cynicism—often with a wink—challenging the rigid systems that rely on formula. Some of these endeavors have been successful, others less so, but none have dampened the childlike wonder that defines Kassell’s ethos.

@micahkassell

[email protected]

@lvdesignandgallery

lvdesignandgallery.com

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Marjorie Dial is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice includes sculpture, printmaking, and writing. She graduated from Yale where she studied history and earned an MFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft later in life. Dial’s ceramics incorporate her knowledge of history and reflect her practices of writing and research, often possessing a philosophical, narrative nature. In 2018, Dial founded an artist residency in North Carolina called Township10 which offers artists, writers, and art professionals an intimate, private retreat to deepen their creative practice. She is part of a lineage of women who have built a space for artists.

@marjoriedial

@pdxcontemporaryart

@Township10

www.marjoriedial.com

pdxcontemporaryart.com

www.township10.org 

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Image courtesy of Dial

Jeremy Okai Davis (b. Charlotte, NC) received a BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, NC. Davis relocated to Portland, OR in 2007 where he has continued his studio practice in addition to working as a graphic designer and illustrator. His work has been shown nationally at the Studio Museum of Harlem (New York, NY), THIS Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), Wa Na Wari (Seattle, WA), and The Rotating Art Program at Portland International Airport (Portland, OR). Davis's work resides in the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon's permanent collection. Elizabeth Leach Gallery began representing Jeremy Okai Davis in 2019. 

@jeremyokaiart

@elizabethleachgallery

[email protected]

www.elizabethleach.com

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Image courtesy of Davis

Alex Hirsch has made architectural art glass since 2004 and painting since college. She specializes in site-specific, painterly glass and works on paper for exhibition.

Her glass commissions are owned by the City of Portland; schools such as Auburn High School and Sunrise Elementary; medical centers including Valley Children’s Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital; and universities like Oregon State University and Southern Oregon University.

She has exhibited her paintings in commercial, educational, and non-profit galleries in Oregon, New York, Kentucky, New Mexico, Illinois, and California. The work is in residential and corporate collections across the USA.

After educating for 18 years, she now works as a studio consultant with creatives who are looking for encouragement and perspective.

In 2025, she will install huge chapel windows for her first international client. 

[email protected]

www.AlexHirschArt.com

Instagram: @AlexHirschArtist @studio_consultant_

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Image courtesy of Hirsch

Sara Sjol (b. Omaha, NE) takes her love of line and color and weaves them together in a vibrant and visual manner that carries through her paper and mixed-media works.

Sjol’s work is held in collections across the country and has been featured on magazine covers and at Portland International Airport. She is represented by the Rental Sales Gallery at the Portland Art Museum.

www.sarasjol.com

@sarasjol_artist

https://www.pdxstreetart.org 

@portlandstreetartalliance

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Image courtesy of Sjol

Tatnall, renowned for his striking portraits and dynamic boxing paintings, is an artist who currently lives and works in Savannah, GA. He trained in painting and illustration at the University of Delaware, further honing his craft at the prestigious Art Students League in New York City, and earned his MFA in Painting from the University of Miami.

Tatnall’s career as an educator spans many years; he served as an Assistant Professor of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University from 2010 to 2016 and currently holds a professorship at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Through his teaching and his practice, he continues to inspire and challenge others to see art as a means of both personal and universal expression.

Since 1995, Tatnall has exhibited his work across the United States, including notable shows in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, and Houston.

www.runcietatnall.com                

@runcie_paintings

All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon. 

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint

Image courtesy of Runcie Tatnall

Kip Bradley is a talented landscape oil painter based in Savannah, Georgia. His work beautifully captures the unique charm and serene landscapes of the Lowcountry, drawing inspiration from the region’s rich history, natural beauty, and the interplay of light and atmosphere. In this conversation, we dive into Kip’s artistic journey, his creative process, and what makes the landscapes of Savannah so inspiring.

Kip exhibits artwork regionally and nationally and is the Studio Programs Manager at the Telfair Museums, teaching and coordinating classes for the community.

www.KipBradley.com

@jkipbrad

@telfairmuseums

www.telfair.org

Produced by Kevin Kirkwood

www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand

@kevinwillpaint

All images are courtesy of Kip Bradley