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ARTS&LEISURE
162
February15
By Amy Greenburg
Part of what makes the expat life so special is
the memories we accumulate, and the number of
unforgettable holidays and home bases we amass.
Inspired by this, American expat CRISTINA ADAIR
of
C+S Art Prints
began creating personalised
canvases that capture the places, events and
dates most important to her customers – from
meaningful addresses to wedding dates, birth
dates and other milestones, each artwork is
uniquely designed around the life-stories provided.
Her “bus scroll” canvases have been popular
among the expat community here for years, and
just recently Cristina introduced a customised
map (a “word cloud” in the shape of Singapore),
which has already become a hit. Cristina shares
how she started her business and what makes her
new product so very special.
Why did you decide to launch C+S Art Prints?
I had been interested in creating art since I was a child, and I’d
always worked within the creative departments of advertising
agencies and retail companies. In 2011, when my friend Sue
Grey, a painter, was commissioned to paint a standard bus
scroll, we came up with the idea together of making bus scrolls
more personal by adding names and significant dates. We
further differentiated our brand by only using one particular
font and very specific spacing.
What materials do you use?
Each piece is truly bespoke – every single canvas I work
on is designed for the individual client and never copied
from a canvas I have created for another. We use a graphics
programme and then the design is printed onto a museum-
grade quality cotton canvas. The canvas is stretched on
an extra-deep frame and is substantially heavy for the size.
The quality of the produced canvases is outstanding – you
will never see a C+S Art Print on vinyl or stretched on a thin
artist frame.
We hung our Singapore map in the centrally located
open kitchen of our apartment so that we can see it
at all times. I liked the idea of having something that
would not only bring back one memory, but lots of
them, including the different places we have visited,
where we have met friends and where our day-to-day
living has taken place. This was, of course, the motive
for choosing our keywords. I believe we’ll enjoy the
piece even more when our expat life in Singapore
is finished, and we’re back home thinking of the
gorgeous time we had and the extraordinary memories
we made.
– Sylvia Sandeck, C+S Art Prints customer
What do you love most about what you do?
I’m inspired every day by my clients and the work they allow
me to create with their personal stories and words. So many
of them share with me the significant occasions they’re
celebrating and the joys and, sometimes, obstacles they’re
facing. The gift they are giving is always given with love, and
I feel so fortunate to play a part in making someone happy.
Tell us about C+S’s new bespoke maps.
The response to the maps (56x100cm, $525) has been great
so far. Each can be personalised to include the dates and
places that mean the most to the client, including schools,
addresses, restaurants and workplaces. Also, we use the
Chinese symbol for good luck and prosperity as a nod to the
culture here in Singapore.
Our canvases have become quite popular as presents,
especially for people who are leaving Singapore, so we wanted
to give our clients another option that is still in keeping with
the C+S Art Prints “look and feel”.
csartprints.com
Mapping
Memories