The art of gift giving is a very personal and individually inspired activity. Sometimes what you can find on the high street or that little boutique you know around the corner, just isn’t enough. In a world of mass produced items, a unique, personalised gift can be cherished for years and never forgotten. One such company who works on exclusive, special pieces is Painted with Love.

Painted with Love

Unique, tailor-made personalised art and wooden hearts for babies, children, couples and families

Claire Witz, an artist and mum from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK has been painting for as long as she can remember. Claire had a brief stint at art college before graduating with a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies and lived in North Africa. On her return to England and after ten years as a consultant for a US management consultant, Claire set up Painted with Love in October 2009.

“As the name says, I create all of my work with love, pride and attention to detail. I use lovely chunky canvases and high quality paints and design my pieces carefully so that they will be treasured in the years to come”

Painted with Love specialise in personalised and unique wooden hearts, name plaques and canvases. Perfect gifts for new babies, christenings, engagements, weddings and anniversaries, basically for any special moment you wish to mark.

Painted with Love

Personalised wooden hearts & luggage tags

The hearts are made from chunky solid birch wood and are warm, smooth and very tactile. Each heart is handmade, handpainted, and tied with either a gorgeous spotty or stitched grosgrain ribbon, natural cotton tape or satin ribbon coordinated to match the design of the heart. The styles featured on the website are just some of those available, Claire happily paints other styles and colours are available on request, including names in Arabic.

Mr & Mrs Wooden Hearts, by Painted with Love

Canvases & Door Plaques

Claire particularly enjoys painting bespoke personalized canvases and canvas letters to fit with a client’s individual interests or existing décor or styles.

Her current children’s collection ranges from names spelled out in block letters, fun, quirky canvases featuring jet planes, cupcakes, cute gingerbread men in various attire, fairies, superheros and princesses.

Canvas Letters, by Painted with Love

Whilst for the adults there are vintage french styles, retro Union Jack and anything polka dot and pretty. The canvases are fabulous as wedding presents, welcoming the new Mr & Mrs to their marital home, or a “Home Sweet Home” reminding you when you return at the end of a hard day, that life is good. Each canvas can have a personalised message on the back so make that gift just that little bit more special.

Home sweet home canvas, by Painted with Love

Inspiration

Claire takes her inspirations from all around her; “my radar is permanently on with a hundred ideas bubbling in my head and the odd Big Idea, which tend to arrive in a sudden flash”.  Her personal love of all things pretty, vintage, French and Islamic styles inspires her as well as the use of light and also artwork from text. Claire described her love for her work, “As I paint the vast majority of my work to order I really enjoy working with clients to create something which is personal and meaningful for them.”

Painted with Love is based at Claire’s home in Royal Tunbridge Wells and she is lucky to paint in a room with lots of light and beautiful views across the town and to the countryside beyond, perfect for developing ideas. All the basic materials are sourced from small UK suppliers as Claire likes to source from the UK, responsibly and with recycled materials wherever possible.

Commissions

Claire is always happy to undertake commissions, be it doing a slightly different twist on one her pieces already in the collection or something completely different that you would like to develop. Some of Claire’s previous commissions can be seen on her website.  Many of the individual pieces become family heirlooms.

Commission piece, by Painted with Love

What’s next for Painted With Love?

Claire regularly exhibits and sells her work at events in and around Tunbridge Wells. Her work can be viewed and bought through her website www.paintedwithlove.co.uk and at Cuppedia, 120 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells. Painted with Love will also be at All Your Christmas Presents Under One Roof on Saturday 27th November 2010, at St Johns Church, Tunbridge Wells. Claire continues to broaden her customer base, including overseas orders for her Arabic artwork and aims to build up her portfolio in the coming year.

Painted with Love, from Tunbridge Wells