An artist after all

Kim Comstock, a fine-art decorative artist and portrait painter, traveled the world honing her craft before personal loss and the search for a new opportunity brought her to Winchester.

Here, she transformed a neglected former department store on Main Street into a home and studio, giving new life to a building where she could bring beauty into the world.

Born in Cincinnati, Comstock, 52, began painting as a child.

“I’ve got a picture of myself at 3, with the easel and beret, the whole thing,” Comstock said. “My mom decided I would be an artist; I didn’t have much choice.”

She moved to Lexington to attend Transylvania University before continuing her studies in New York, London and Rome.

Eventually, Kim returned to Kentucky and built a career painting murals and decorative finishes for interior designers. Her work took her into homes and businesses, where she turned ordinary walls and ceilings into works of art.

Over the years, she developed a wide range of skills, from elaborate decorative finishes to detailed portraits, earning the admiration of other artists and designers.

“She can do a multitude of styles,” said Ceci Beach, owner of Studio Bird in Lexington. “I don’t think most artists have that much range of what she can do.”

But making a living as an artist hasn’t always been easy.

There were times when Kim grew frustrated with the work and considered giving it up. Each time, she wondered what else she could do with her life.

Despite spending decades making art, Kim said she didn’t become comfortable calling herself an artist until recently.

“It’s a hard thing to say,” she said. “But what else am I if I’m not an artist?”

Today, her Winchester studio is both a home and a place to continue the work that has shaped much of her life.

Surrounded by paintings, brushes and projects in various stages of completion, Kim continues to create, finding purpose in the same craft she first picked up as a little girl.