With a paintbrush in hand and a vision in mind, muralist and commercial painter Kim Howell works with quite a large canvas. In fact, Howell gives new meaning to “painting the town,” as she makes a living decorating the windows and walls of small businesses and houses around the community.
Whether it’s a unique advertisement, seasonal decoration or a simple show of community pride, Howell finds a way to leave her mark.
With approximately 30 years experience painting murals, Howell has been able to make a living painting. Her well-honed skills offer an advantage over the few other peninsula muralists, though she said she is the only window painter and decorator she knows of in Ocean Beach.
“I love it. I really do love it.” Howell said. Her enthusiasm for the art form is evidenced by the sheer number of windows displaying her signature “” usually small and in the corner, her flowery script as steady as a stencil.
Howell started painting murals at age 12 alongside her mother. When she was 15, Howell set out on her own.
“I just started walking door to door with a box of paint, for pizza or donuts or a little bit of cash,” Howell said.
But she doesn’t work for chump change anymore. Depending on the complexity of the mural or decoration, customers can expect to pay anywhere from $350 to $1,700 for a well-planned, collaborative piece.

Locally, Howell’s prolific window decorations are in season, as OBMA recently sponsored a business decorating contest. A walk up and down Newport Avenue highlights some of her best work, Howell said, including a mural above the gelato store at Rock Paper Scissors, adding that the detailed portrait took two weeks to complete and required scaffolding. Bone Appetit at 4845 Newport Ave. displays Howell’s most elaborate holiday window.
Born in San Diego, Howell spent most of her time in Ocean Beach. As a child she loved the ocean and as an adult she came back every chance she got. Now a mother of four, Howell is passing on the muralist tradition to one of her two daughters, who occasionally helps out. She chooses to work and raise her family in Ocean Beach because it is still a community that has a sense of pride in itself and whose residents are always trying to help each other out, she said.
“As far as OB goes, I have a passion for this place and I’m always going to put my best foot forward here,” she said. “If I never have to leave here that’d be great.”
Howell also uses her work to give back to the community. In late August she outlined a seascape on a 100-foot-long wall at a Sunset Cliffs Boulevard gas station, and then invited children and young artists to paint the design. The community event was a huge success, she said.

Though her roots are in Ocean Beach, Howell’s work can be found all over San Diego County, including the communities of Clairemont, Chula Vista and Ramona. Howell has also been the recipient of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association’s (OBMA) Excellence in Neighborhood Beautification award in recognition of her contribution.
“[Howell’s work] reflects individual style,” said Ocean Beach MainStreet Association executive director Denny Knox, who has collaborated with Howell on several projects around Ocean Beach, including the OBMA building mural. “People in Ocean Beach pride themselves on individual style “” this just adds to that.”