Claudiu Bixa's painted furniture workshop in Rasnov

How did I find out about the Painted Furniture Workshop in Râșnov? From Claudiu Bixa, who owns it. When we launched the magazine, Claudiu Bixa followed every post with interest and always had a good word for us. We liked his interest and wanted to find out if his work had anything to do with wood. That's how we found out that he's in the business of restoring old painted furniture, but also that he's a highly regarded painter of signatures and other wooden objects. The story of the man, but also of the painter and restorer of old furniture, appealed to us and prompted us to share it with you.

The talent inherited from his father, a church painter

For Claudiu Bixa, painting is the medium in which he was born and raised, his father being a church painter for over 40 years. Although fate took him to Râșnov, he was born and spent his childhood in Turda, Cluj County. The beautiful years he spent there left their mark on his personality. He was encouraged to believe in what is good and beautiful, to accomplish whatever he wanted.

After a while they moved to Hunedoara, where he began his apprenticeship with his father in the church. He was mainly left to do the decorations. When he was 19, he left for the army. That's when he discovered that he had a talent for painting letters, so he spent his army time painting signs in Brasov. He liked it so much that he wanted to continue after the army and so he ended up painting everything that meant visual propaganda at the Hunedoara Iron and Steel Works, which he did until 1989.

As visual propaganda disappeared after the revolution, he entered the free market and became a company painter. He says sadly that he is probably the last generation of commercial painters in Romania, a profession on the verge of extinction. In 1993 he opened a professional studio for advertising graphic painting, as it was called at the time, and started working while studying marketing. After a year of work, having to pay his "dues" to the state, it seemed unfair to him that they represented 44% of his work. He realized that the state does nothing to support creators and, also influenced by the marketing course, began to think about emigrating.

Emigrating to Greece

And he did it in 1996, moving to Greece where he lived for 16 years and which became his second homeland. He says it was a very good decision and is convinced that living there has influenced him forever. He adapted so well that he never thought he would return. In Greece he was still living in the world of color and creation, painting and painting. There he learned the term 'technotropia' - artistic technique. He used special products to imitate marble, wood, stone or to patina materials. He still uses the same techniques in his projects, using materials imported from Greece.

Because of the crisis in Greece, he had to repatriate in 2012. And he did it in Râșnov, a picturesque area with lots of wood and tradition. He slowly rediscovered Romania, slowly readapting. Being a Saxon area, there was a tradition of painted furniture. So he focused on that and started painting furniture. He studied Transylvanian furniture painting, practiced and discovered the particularities of the style. She opened a workshop, authorized in 2014 for the activities of rustic firms, painted furniture and rustic decorations.

A new field - recycled furniture

In Râșnov he discovered a new love, namely the love for wood, for old wood, full of history and memories. He focused the workshop's activity on mini woodwork and painting. That's how she started to refurbish old chests of drawers and furniture. She likes to paint flowers on old wooden boards that can be used as decorations. She is gradually discovering a new field - furniture recycling, which is a growing trend in Romania. An old piece of furniture can become, with a little effort and imagination, a beautiful and useful piece of furniture.

All the experience he has gained is now coming in handy in woodworking. After 4 years in the business he has become well known in the area and beyond. He has done work for clients even abroad. He highly respects his clients and they appreciate his professionalism, reliability and promptness.

Because everything is done with love, passion and respect.