When picturing The Alamite Hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa, one of the first things that comes to mind is the eye-catching artwork found throughout the space, from the lobby to the rooftop bar. Curated largely by Blair Plott, a member of The Alamite’s ownership group, the collection features works by many talented local artists and each piece holds a unique story.

SoulGrown is excited to continue an exclusive series of interviews, deep dives, and more that tell each artist’s tale. This edition’s interview is with talented local artist Kristin Blakeney.

Hailing from Davidson, North Carolina, Blakeney discovered her love of painting in college while working for local artist, Amy Grimes. “She was the sweetest mentor in so many ways and sparked my interest. I began to dabble in painting myself—taking as many art classes as I could and painting constantly,” she shared.

“Slowly, I started selling more work and it caught the eye of a few galleries. I made the leap to be a full-time artist, which was terrifying, a little over 10 years ago, and haven’t looked back.”

While Blakeney’s paintings can be found throughout The Alamite from their rooftop bar to their guest rooms, her original painting hangs in the hotel’s premier restaurant Forté. “Painting has always been an emotional release and therapeutic process for me. The painting I created for The Alamite is from my Marks series which came about while we were going through fertility struggles. Something that was impossible for me to talk about at the time,” she shared. “The marks or orbs represent small flower buds—blooms in a season of winter. A season of my life that’s passed but always with me. This series has become a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness in a time of pain.”

For Blakeney, the Marks series symbolized a new era of her work and allowed her to try something different than what she usually created. “It was so exciting to create something so out of the box of my current style at the time,” she shared. “Right now I’m working on a series with lots of loose strokes and fluid, airy layers.”

While Blakeney’s painting for The Alamite remains one of her favorite pieces, another personal favorite is one she created for designer Erin Gate’s daughter. “I think the experimentation is my favorite part. I added markings to represent her daughter’s birth date and weight. It’s very subtle but it was really special to be a small part of someone’s happiest moments,” she shared.

You can view more of Kristin’s work here.