To whom do Denver-area designers, builders and homeowners turn when they have an accent wall just begging for an ombre watercolor mural? Or cabinets in need of a custom strié finish? Or a torn strip of handmade wallpaper that requires an imperceptible patch? Time and again, it’s artist Genevieve Smith, who has been creating interior and exterior murals, decorative paint treatments and fine art for residential and commercial spaces since relocating her studio, Magpie Painting, from San Francisco to Denver in 2010. Smith’s strength is her mastery of color and a wide range of techniques and styles, evident in a portfolio that includes everything from moody cloudscapes to ethereal forest scenes to the oft-Instagrammed, 1980s-inspired fluorescent spots and scribbles that cover the walls and ceiling of Dang Soft Serve Ice Cream in Park Hill. And while she’s glad to painstakingly recreate your favorite chinoiserie or chintz wallpaper pattern in a fresh new colorway or scale or faux-bois your countertops to match an antique slab of butcher block, there’s more to Smith’s work than tricking the eye. “It’s still art,” she says, “and it takes on more charm because you can feel the hand in it.” And Smith’s collaborative process allows clients to infuse each creation with their own personalities and styles. “It becomes very personal,” she says, “and I think it’s really cool to walk into someone’s space and get such a strong sense of who they are.” magpiepainting.net
