Imagine any occasion or situation memorialized in oils [or acrylics?]. A wedding or anniversary. A graduation or professional achievement. A bar mitzvah or first communion. A loved one or family pet. A sporting triumph, or a memorial to a fallen warrior. A cherished possession like a classic car or motorcycle. Whatever the source image, PaintYourLife’s artists painstakingly craft an original oil painting, in almost any size, on any subject. This represents a quantum leap from sitting in person for hours, over a period of weeks, for portraits of unsure quality. Unlike most things in life, the Paint Your Life process is simple: Upload the photographic image of your choice, and their professional artists paint it by hand in oils to client specifications. Clients pay only a 20% deposit; they pay in full when, after an online review process, they are happy with the work. The whole process takes a little over a week and the finished pieces are shipped flat or rolled anywhere in the world. ++more++ www.PrintYourCanvas.com involves a similarly easy, serene process. Users upload a photo and professional digital editors manipulate it into one of several recognizable artistic styles, creating a cherished keepsake—and the perfect gift—from an ordinary photograph. Customers can choose a number of graphic styles that recall and pay homage to the works of And Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and the latest art phenomenon, Shepard Fairey, whose works have inspired a movement (and symbolized one!). The twin enterprises sprang from the minds of Tel Aviv entrepreneurs Assaf Kostiner and Eilon Weissmann. Kostiner says, “Portraiture is one of the oldest forms of painting, and probably the best admired by its subjects and satisfying to those who commission the works. PaintYourLife brings this ancient technique into the 21st Century. You capture it; our artists will paint it.” The partners found a graphics editor/curator of uncommon skill, Sue Brehant. An accomplished artist herself, Brehant also has done numerous commercial art projects including textiles, wallpapers and furnishings. She says, “The emergence of superior digital painting programs and my passion of painting helped me develop my own unique styles which we’ve been able to create for customers on the site. Vibrant digital oils of people, pets and landscapes, printed on canvas or linen are my forte. Working with Paint Your Life is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The challenge of creating unique and personal digital paintings from our customers’ photos is always exciting.” It’s also a very personal process with heartwarming stories. Kostiner recalls,” A customer asked us for a painting of his girlfriend and him and convinced a museum to hang it while he and she walked by. She was overcome with surprise and emotion when she saw their painting, and he proposed to her on the sport. She accepted.” In a note whose sentiments are shared by many happy customers, one wrote, "It's been forty-eight years since my fiancée passed away. Your painting brought her back.” There are also portraits of fallen soldiers, as well as an annual series of the Mrs. America pageant contestants [and a contest? Can you describe that? FYI it’s small but the word “pageant” is misspelled on the site] Kostiner concludes, “Portraiture is a time-honored tradition that technology has made affordable, fast and consistently first-rate; we’re pleased to bring PaintYourLife and PrintYourCanvas to the public.”