Strand, the Story of an Artist

Episode 055: Keeana Heredia

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.
 

Episode 054: Horatio Hung-Yan Law

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.
 

Episode 053: Micah Kassell

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
micah_kassell@comcast.net
@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
 

Episode 052: Marjorie Dial

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
 
 

Episode 051:Jeremy Okai Davis

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
jeremyokai@gmail.com
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
 

Episode 050: Alex Hirsch

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. 
Ahirsch@AlexHirschArt.com
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
 

Episode 049: Sara Sjol

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.In her early years, Sjol’s creativity focused mainly on graphic design and photography. It wasn’t until 2010, when she developed a chronic illness that her visual art began pouring out. Since then, Sjol has created an engaging series of works in which she expresses herself and the world around her.
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

Episode 048: Runcie Tatnall

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

Episode 047: Kip Bradley

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

Episode 046: Zach Waller

Zach Waller is a self-taught photographer based in Savannah, Georgia, who recently relocated from Minnesota in March 2023. Although he works in logistics by day, photography has always been a central passion in his life, one that has experienced a resurgence after a long hiatus since his high school and college years.
Exploring the world through his lens, Zach is drawn to the raw, beauty of everyday life, particularly in street and portrait photography. He continues to seek out new ways to tell compelling stories through his photography, embracing the unexpected and celebrating the richness of the human experience.
Listen to this, and all episodes of The Strand by clicking the link in the @strandpodcast bio. Or, at kevinwillpaint.com/strand . Episodes are also found on Spotify, iHeart, Apple, Amazon and other major podcast platforms.
@zachwallerphotography
Photos courtesy of Zach Waller
Produced by Kevin Kirkwood. @kevinwillpaint