Color This Painted Lady Happy

Genevieve Britton's enthusiasm is clearly evident when she talks about her craft and her home in Havre de Grace.

“I love to paint outside. It’s so great. I have the best little backyard, too. Ahh!” she says, her voice rising an octave. “It’s got a little waterfall and a pond, we just did a patio—it’s like a giant slab of stone. I have bonsai plants and a pergola, it’s just perfect. It’s perfect Zen!”

Britton's home also has a studio.

"I use my house as the test ground. There’s a lot of wacky stuff that just doesn’t jive right now. Sherwin Williams just came out with new faux paint so I’ve been testing it out everywhere," she said.

The painter was born in Baltimore but grew up in Abingdon, going to Bel Air middle and high schools, and has lived in Havre de Grace for seven years.

Britton says she has always “loved creating” and started at Harford Community College, and transferring to Towson State where she majored in Fine Arts with a minor in Business Administration.

Although she was trained as a sculptor, these days she finds herself doing a lot of painting.

Britton runs Murals of Grace, through Main Street's arts and entertainment committee, whose mission is “to paint the town beautiful, one wall at a time.”

On this particular day, Britton reminisced about utilizing a local brownie troop over the weekend.

“We had about 17 children working on very simple shapes to paint on water fowl. They loved it! They had so much fun, they all got a Sherwin Williams hat and t-shirt. It was great,” she said smiling.

Britton is owner of , where she and several other talented women specialize in custom artwork and murals as well as free in-home consultations with traditional painting. Her supporting cast includes Kim Kleinberg, Kim Johnson, Schae Martin and Jenny Blessing 

For Britton, it’s all about color: “Color is hugely complementary to the way a house flows.”

And it's also about the art. With the downtrodden economy, the women of The Painted Lady have been doing less of the fun stuff, Britton says, and more traditional painting. 

However, she has coined the term "movable murals"—a custom painting on a large canvas that can be moved around.

"I made up the name movable mural. I think that it's a great approach for someone who might not stay in their house for a while or who may want to leave," she said.

So for Britton, it's all about color, art and, of course, being innovative.

Patch sat down with Britton to get to know her a little better.

Patch: What inspires you?

Britton: I think I am inspired by Mother Nature. And I am also inspired by good living and good-living people and when I’m around other good-living people that get it.

Patch: What do you mean by that, people that get it?

Britton: I think that life is about doing what you love and making it a way of living. Some people are maybe driven more by money, and as an artist I am not driven by money but I have learned that it is a necessity. So in trying to figure out what keeps me going it’s the people—they matter huge to me.

Patch: Why Havre de Grace?

Britton: The waterfront and the Arts and Entertainment District. George and Barbara [Wagner] offered us a deal we couldn’t refuse and since then I think it’s become a trend. They offered us six month’s rent free: time for us to build a business plan, build a business, get a clientele, get up and running. It’s a lot of overhead. But [the Wagners] are another reason. Right now—this economy—it is no joke. And I think it’s a very entreprenuerial thought.

Patch: What are you most proud of?

Britton: I really love the poppies (see accompanying photo). I think it’s a shame that it’s still here [at the shop] but I love them. It was a ton of fun to do.

Patch: What’s it like for you to get in the zone?

Britton: One of the things that I like to do is put good music on. Different music does different things.

Patch: What kind of music, what’s on your playlist?

Britton: I have mixed CDs that I’ve done. I’ve done some CDs that give you a warm-up and then you get into the "workout." And then you have like the cool down. They have everything on them from disco to Enya. [She whispers] I can’t do country. Music is important.

Patch: What do you love about this business?

Britton: How we can excite people about their homes again, and bring something back to life. It’s amazing what paint can do. It’s so powerful.

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For more photos, go here.