LOVE, LEGACY & LIVE PAINTING: WHAT THE BLACKBURNS TAUGHT US

TL;DR: Lucie and Thornton Blackburn weren’t just freedom seekers — they were partners in life, love, and business. Their story inspires how we build Wet Paint Society every single day.

When people ask us why we care so much about marriage, or why we chose to start a business together as a couple — our answer is simple: we believe in legacy.

And few love stories reflect that better than Lucie and Thornton Blackburn.

If you don’t know their story yet, let us put you on:

Lucie and Thornton were formerly enslaved African Americans who escaped to freedom, made it to Canada, and built Toronto’s very first taxi company in the 1830s.

They didn’t just survive.

They built. They gave. They thrived.

They used their business to fund anti-slavery efforts. They created jobs. They bought land. They helped others find freedom.

They were in love — and they were in partnership.

And honestly? That story sits in our bones.

Because even now, almost 200 years later, we’re trying to do the same thing in our own way:

We’re raising a daughter.

We’re building a business.

We’re trusting God.

We’re using our creativity to create space — for beauty, for love, and for stories that deserve to be seen.

WHY THEIR STORY INSPIRES US

It’s not just that they escaped slavery.

It’s that they turned their freedom into purpose. They didn’t stop with surviving — they built something that lasted.

That’s the energy we carry with us when we show up to paint someone’s wedding.

Because your love? Your story? It matters.

And maybe that painting will hang in your home one day — and remind your children that love and legacy go hand in hand.

Wet Paint Society is a family-run live wedding painting business based in Toronto, Ontario, available for weddings across Canada. We paint love stories in real time — but our deepest inspiration comes from the love stories that came before us.

READY TO ADD YOUR STORY TO THE CANVAS?

We’d be honoured to paint it. Visit wetpaintsociety.com to learn more and check availability.