A conversation with muralist Kim Radford

@mikewindyart has known @kimradfordart for over twenty years—we met taking Painting 2 with the legendary Lisa Houha in the old Trahern Building at Austin Peay State University back in the late ’90s. Since those days in Clarksville, Kim has literally painted her way into Nashville’s visual identity—becoming one of the city’s premiere mural artists. Her work has graced @grimeys walls for album campaigns for The Black Keys, Valerie June, Joni Mitchell, Billy Strings, Lilly Hiatt, Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell… and iconic local landmarks like Mitchell Deli and the famous Dolly mural @the5spotnashvilleWe talk about:💥 Always hustling & betting on yourself🎯 Why passion projects matter (especially early on)🧩 Being a one-woman show🤖 And wrestling with how & why to use AI as an artist in 2025Proud to call her a friend, colleague, and inspiration all these years later.#KimRadford #MuralArtist #NashvilleArt #WomenInArt #PublicArt #ArtCommunity #PassionProjects #OneWomanShow #ArtistHustle #AIandArt #AustinPeay #TrahernStories #DollyMural #MusicAndArt #VisualStorytelling #ArtistSpotlight #mikewindyart #drawingsouthpodcast #mikewindypodcast #drawingsouthTile Art: From Kim's IG of Dolly at 5spot