Kevin Kirkwood recently sat down with Nina Katz, a Berkeley-based painter whose work explores the figure and portraiture. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Hong Kong, Nina studied in Boston before settling in the Bay Area. Largely self-taught, she’s been painting full time for the past 15 years; creating deeply expressive and intimate works. Nina’s latest exhibition, Figures and Fragments, is now on view at Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco through November 15. Learn more at ninakatz.com and jackfischergallery.com. "I am motivated by the process of painting and the dialogue that develops between me and the paint.  Over the years my work has moved between representation to figurative abstraction and back again. My work continues to resist categorization. It shifts, evolves, and refuses to settle into a tidy theme or style. I try not to chase what’s expected or popular; instead, I follow the work itself—its moods, its materials, its surprises. I still love to do commissioned portraits as well as revisit unfamiliar topics. This path is not always comfortable, but it is the most honest one I know. I trust the paint and I’m fueled, always, by a little angst—and maybe the occasional nudge from the goddess of creativity." – Nina Katz   Produced by Kevin Kirkwoodkevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint  |  @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded September 28, 2025 in Berkeley California.