Anna Charney isn’t just painting walls—she’s bending reality. A Denver-based muralist and studio artist, her work blasts with saturated color, hypnotic patterns, and just enough math to make your brain tingle (hello, Fibonacci).

Think Op Art meets biophilic design, shaken up with some serious digital wizardry. Since picking up a spray can in 2017, Charney’s been transforming blank walls into visual vortexes—turning public space into a playground of perception. Whether she’s working on a massive tunnel ceiling or layering subtle tones in the studio, her art isn’t just something to look at—it’s something to feel. 

What role does color play in your creative process? 

Highly saturated color has become central to my work over the last few years. I approach color differently in murals than studio paintings. The context and experience of large-scale work require most design and compositional choices to be made differently in order for the work to be impactful and eye-catching. Because murals are often viewed from a distance or in passing, bold contrast and vibrant colors are essential to grab attention and hold space in the environment. I reserve more subtle color play for canvas work, where I can explore nuanced chromatic relationships on a small scale.

Can you walk us through how a piece typically begins for you? 

Since most of my practice is mural work, I’ll answer with my process there. I believe that working site-specifically is vital to the creation of strong public art, so my process will always begin with a site visit or reference photos to understand the scale and environmental context of a wall. From there, I’ll start working on sketches, pulling from visual research that’s inspiring me at the moment while maintaining client input (if I’m working on commission). All of my creative decisions are made during this phase, so once I begin installation, it’s a matter of pure execution (which, to me, really feels like playtime).

It really is amazing. How would you describe your style to someone who has never seen your work before? 

I’m a painter of contemporary, abstract pattern works. My paintings are characterized by their flowing and spiraling compositions, saturated color schemes, and layered geometric or dot patterns. I’m highly inspired by biophilic design and mathematical forms found in nature, and often incorporate references to the Golden Ratio or Fibonacci Sequence in my work.

Which artist or movements have influenced your work the most? 

I’ve always been heavily influenced by the history of Op Art. The exploration of perception and distortion to create an optically sensationally work of art has had a lasting impact on how I think about visual experience. 

Denver has a strong mural and street art scene. How has being a part of it shaped you? 

Denver’s street art scene is what drew me into public art in the first place. I had never even considered becoming a muralist as an option in my career path until 2016, when I moved back to Denver and was introduced to the scene. Getting a sense of the community and spirited energy is what inspired me to pick up a spray can for the first time in 2017, completely opening a new dimension in my practice and (not to be too cheesy) in my soul and passion. 

You often incorporate geometric forms and illusions, what draws you to those elements? 

My goal is to create a sensory experience for the viewers of my paintings and murals. Working with illusions feels like performing magic – they allow me to bend perspective and transform environments into something more dynamic than the reality of a flat wall. My fascination with pattern began while I was studying printmaking in college with halftones and has evolved into the layered style I work in now. I’ve always found the visual density and rhythm of pattern captivating and love the dimension that it offers. 

How do you balance between large-scale murals and studio pieces? 

That’s a question that I often find myself asking other artists as I haven’t figured it out myself. I typically reserve studio work for the winter months when mural season is slow. 

Has technology or digital design impacted the way you create? 

Absolutely. My design process has been entirely digital since I got my first iPad in 2019. That is when everything shifted and I was able to explore a deeper density of detail and layering than is really possible in hand drawn work. I do most of my design on Procreate, but also incorporate custom patterns and motifs that I make using a variety of pattern apps. 

What’s been your most challenging project to date, and what did you learn from it? 

Two projects of the same type come to mind – two pedestrian tunnels I painted for both Adams County and the City of Arvada. Working in an enclosed tunnel provides extreme physical and logistical challenges. These projects taught me a lot about adaptability and endurance—mainly, if you are going to paint a ceiling, front load that kind of labor intensive work at the beginning of installation when you’re feeling strongest.

Can you share a moment where your art connected with someone in an unexpected way? 

Someone once came up to me at an art show with tears in their eyes, explaining that they saw depth in my work for the first time, despite having a severe vision impairment. That moment really stuck with me as a reminder of how powerful a purely optical experience of abstract work can be and pushed me to continue exploring illusionistic space.

What advice would you give young artists trying to find their own visual language? 

Trust your intuition and stay true to what genuinely excites you and once you identify that, explore it on repeat. Don’t get caught up in following trends or creating based on what you think will perform well online—those things change rapidly, while your art is an ever evolving practice. Longevity in art comes from authenticity. 

What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or themes you’re excited to explore? 

I’m looking forward to spending some time in the studio over the next few months, focusing on bringing even more organic forms into my work and further blending representation and abstraction.