Name: Lucy Wellborn Smith

Family: Married to William Smith and daughter of Ruth and Charles Wellborn (both Dawgs!)

Hometown: Atlanta

Current Town: Atlanta

Years at UGA: 2014–2017

School/Degree: Lamar Dodd, BFA Graphic Design and Grady, Bachelor of Arts in Advertising

PROFESSION:

Lucy is an Atlanta-based painter whose work explores the quiet poetry of texture, time, and transformation. A graduate of the University of Georgia’s highly selective Graphic Design program, she brings a designer’s discipline to an artist’s intuition. Her years immersed in composition, color theory, and balance now reveal themselves through layers of paint instead of pixels.

Whether experimenting with cracked gesso, sun-washed dyes, or earth pigments, Lucy’s paintings embody a relaxed, natural elegance that mirrors her own presence: barefoot more often than not, intuitive, unpolished, yet always intentional. She’s the artist clients call when they want something soulful, grounded, and quietly powerful.

Her aesthetic bridges refinement and rawness: part design language, part lived-in soul. Whether hanging in a collected home or an airy modern space, her paintings feel like they’ve always belonged there.

Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach, 2026 Southeast Atlanta Showhouse, Bond Millen EMERGE exhibition (Richmond), Schumacher Collaboration — plus press features in House Beautiful, AD Pro, and Town & Country.

Book: I recently enjoyed Pink Sands Summer. (1) It was about an artist named Lucy living in the Bahamas.  Also, Ina Garten’s Be Ready When the Luck Happens is a must-read for all entrepreneurs.

Magazine: Architectural Digest. I look forward to each month’s edition.

Podcast: Not a huge podcast girl, but I do watch the Today Show most mornings.

Blog: I love anything Julia Berolzheimer shares.

Instagram: I am always on Instagram. I love looking at interior designers, other artists, wedding planners, influencers and anything creative. Instagram has been a life-changing tool for artists; I cannot imagine life without it.

Brands: Alemais, (2) Cabana, Lela Rose, Casa Gusto, Hill House, Ulla Johnson.

Fashion Designer: Sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann of Zimmermann; (3) every piece is a work of art, and I love the experience of walking into their uniquely designed stores.

Interior Designer: I recently worked with Bird Interiors,(4) who commissioned two pieces for the Southeast Showhouse, so fun to collaborate on! I have also been loving the work of Anna Booth Interiors, Frances Jackson Interiors and Sally Wilkinson.

Chef: @acrosskrissystable is a must-follow on Instagram and TikTok.

Historical Figure: I have been very interested in Bunny Mellon (5) recently.

Quote:

“The artist is not a different kind of person, but every person is a different kind of artist.”

Describe Athens in five words or less: Slice of heaven.

Restaurants and bars: You could always find me at Taqueria, Seabear or the Georgia Rooftop.

Shops: Heery’s and all the vintage stores and pop-ups around downtown.

Athens/campus landmark: The Lamar Dodd building is a hidden gem on campus. The building floods with natural light, and the floors and walls are miraculously cleaned of all your paint splatter every night. It is truly a world of possibility and potential — the perfect building for nurturing young talent.

Memory: I lived downtown for two years in the Fred building. Walking up the stairs to an apartment full of eight-plus other girls every day is hard to beat. There was always someone ready for a last-minute concert, a walk or dinner out.

Professor/class: I loved my drawing classes with Professor Norman. He always encouraged us to push our work. I really learned how to play with materials and scale in his class.

Gameday ritual: The Georgia Theatre before the game is non-negotiable

Tailgate recipe: Palmetto Pimento Cheese is a must and Zaxby’s chicken fingers with Zax sauce.