Black Hat Painting

Kim Balentine is a North Carolina-based artist and designer, whose aesthetic is inspired by adventure and travel to foreign coastlines as much as it is influenced by art history. As a free spirit, she spent time living in England before returning to her home state of North Carolina to relive her childhood memories of spending summers at the Crystal Coast. As her native Raleigh changes and grows, she is inspired to document the memories of the past as well as embrace the future. Many of her paintings are iconic buildings, such as the Capitol, or memories of local favorites that evoke a sense of nostalgia. Expression, energy, color and movement are important aspects to her work, and while she has primarily worked in acrylic paint, she also uses other mediums such as oil pastel, conte, and charcoal to allow for a greater range of subtlety. She even paints whimsical watercolor animals on rag paper, giving them a free flowing feel of delight. Kim spends her days teaching others her techniques and art history. In the evenings she is in her art studio creating countless new series. Her work is always on display in warehouse district of Raleigh at 311 West Martin Gallery. When she is not in Raleigh, you can find her with her family in Morehead City on the porch soaking up the sun and surf at her feet.