Born in South Africa to parents who emigrated from Germany, Ronald Katz spent his early childhood there before relocating to New York City, where he continues to live and work. He earned a B.A. from Queens College, majoring in mathematics with minors in physics and art. His artistic training began in adolescence at the Albert Pels Art School and continued at the Art Students League, the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Graphics Center, and Parsons/The New School. At Queens College, he studied watercolor with Barse Miller, drawing with Elias Friedensohn, and color and oil painting with John Ferren, alongside courses in art history. Katz also pursued workshops in traditional fresco, producing a series of small-scale works in the medium.

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Katz’s painting practice is expansive, encompassing still life, landscape, figuration, and abstraction. His imagery is guided by emotional and aesthetic response, drawing from nature, music, science, and art history. Recurring themes emerge through sustained observation and the interplay of personal associations, from intimate still lifes to large, complex canvases.

Narrative and visual juxtaposition are central to many works. The Art Class, Figure Composition (with Horseshoe Crab and Red Knot), and the ongoing Lost and Found series bring together seemingly disparate elements, resolving them into unified compositions. Though primarily representational, the work consistently engages with abstraction of form, color, and spatial relationships, balancing clarity with expressive complexity.

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Technical mastery is fundamental to Katz’s practice, with a focus on the appropriate application of materials to enhance expressive and emotional impact. Many paintings evolve through multiple revisions, layering forms, colors, textures, and ideas to intensify meaning. His long-standing engagement with classical music often informs the rhythm and structure of his compositions.

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Alongside his painting, Katz has maintained a parallel practice in printmaking. He has worked extensively in lithography and etching, studying with John Ross and Mohamed Khalil, and developed a large body of silk monotypes in collaboration with Sheila Marbain. More recently, he has explored digital printmaking with Andre Ribuoli, extending his visual vocabulary across media. View Katz's prints at ronaldkatz.com.

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Katz remains devoted to the ongoing evolution of his work and continues to conceive new paintings, refine his visual language, and explore the expressive possibilities of form and color.