Bill Katz

My mother, Nga Katz, has developed a unique style combining three art forms: Chinese brush techniques, the simplicity of Japanese art, and the "story telling" of each painting from her Vietnamese perspective. Her medium is watercolor on rice paper and silk.

Picture: Happy Koi by Nga Bui Katz

My dad and his sheltie, Pierre, have been pretty inseparable since Pierre was a pup. But on one icy December morning, Pierre became a life saver when my dad slipped in the driveway and broke his hip. With nobody around, my dad told Pierre to run into the house, retrieve his play pulley -- a stout piece of rope for playing tug-of-war -- and help pull him into the house for a 911 call.

Pierre, of course, is no ordinary sheltie, and at 70+ pounds, my family often wonder about his true pedigree. The certificate says he's a true sheltie, but he looks more like a border collie. Whatever his origins, our family is grateful that he's as big as he is.

My brother has been playing music since we were little. Although he was an award-winning musician with the clarinet, more recently, he's been playing keyboard and composing. I managed to obtain smoking-gun blackmail material: an "interesting" music video of Nithanya¹, a song off his Brandon Project CD. He's the Asian guy with the turban moving rhythmically while at the keyboard.² I would describe the song as Indian folk tune meets rap.