TOM BRITT VETERAN NASHVILLE MUSICIAN PUTS DOWN THE GUITAR PICK AND PICKS UP A PAINT BRUSH “I grew up in Iowa and my mom dated one of Grant Wood’s subjects in one of his paintings” says longtime Nashville guitar wizard Tom Britt…”it hung over the mantel in his house. Now it’s in the Chicago Museum of Art.” This close proximity to Wood’s bucolic painted essays of the rural farming countryside of the 20th century would go toward explaining his passion these days with his setting aside his aural creations in order to focus on visuals. While he’s not a copycat, the serenity and cheerfulness of Tom’s depictions of country life do reflect a bit of Grant Wood’s masterful treatments of Americana, especially the crowning achievement, “American Gothic”. Tom’s work is simpler, perhaps humbler, than Wood’s work, but also more vivid. Primary colors abound. And while the midwestern farming people depicted in his work are not necessarily smiling, they’re not frowning either. There are traces of Picasso, blue faces, or the sensation that humans and things like televisions and furniture are suspended in air. There is humor too, like a dog sitting at a bar between two drinkers. Grass is navy blue, shrubs are filled with what look like lollipops, apples in trees are gold and the moon is blue green. “I try to create a story. The paintings have all got certain figures in them”, he explains, “and you’ve got to think about them a little bit. They have something you’ve got to maybe figure out. That’s all I know how to paint. I don’t really paint bowls of flowers or fruit. I get bored doing that. I want to get wild.” Tom doesn’t work in oils, nor watercolor. He works in Sherwin-Williams. “Just like Picasso”, he quips. “I go to Lowe’s and get the sample containers. They’re four bucks each and they’ll last you a year.