Two papercut artists from Kent have experienced such success following a recent exhibition of their work that a piece of their art is now being shipped to Germany.

Chris Pope and Helen Lawn, an engaged couple from Tunbridge Wells only began experimenting with papercut art, a process involving hundreds of individual cuts being made with a scalpel to create the final product, a year ago - but have already had international interest in their pieces.

The couple in their 40s are known as Mr and Mrs Papercuts and following the debut of the “Slice of Life” exhibition at the Trinity Theatre last month, are delighted that one of their hand-cut original pieces has been purchased as a gift by the council for the Mayor of Wiesbaden, the twin town of Tunbridge Wells.

The decision followed a visit to the exhibition by the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Cllr Julian Stanyer and his wife Ann.

The piece selected features the iconic clock in the Pantiles which would be familiar to the Lord Mayor of Wiesbaden, Sven Gerich, who stayed in the town during his visit in July as part of the town’s 25th anniversary celebrations of the Twinning Charter between Tunbridge Wells and Wiesbaden.

Cllr Julian Stanyer said: “While we admired all the exhibits, there was something about The Pantiles Clock piece that everyone was drawn to.

"We are very pleased to have found a unique gift that not only captures the beauty of the town but will have a personal connection to the Mayor of Wiesbaden.”

As with all the other exhibition pieces, “Clock of Ages” is entirely cut by hand and represents many hours of work invested by the couple.

Chris said: "Each piece takes quite a long time, we have to draw out our outlines, put in every little window if it's a building, we have to organise colours, the lettering, and then we have to start cutting.

"We thought we’d focus on the world around us in terms of Tunbridge Wells for our art. It’s such an intriguing place to live, full of history and potential as well as a hotbed of talent" - Chris Pope

"Sometimes if you make a mistake you have to start all over again, which starts to become extremely frustrating.

"But when you see the end result and the product of your hard work and committment, it's a really amazing feeling. We've only been working on our art for about a year now, so we're quite proud of how far we've come.

"We thought we’d focus on the world around us in terms of Tunbridge Wells for our art. It’s such an intriguing place to live, full of history and potential as well as a hotbed of talent.

"It’s something we’re both passionate about – the increasing rarity of art that is genuinely a one-off, and made by hand. That’s what we treasure and know that others do too – the chance of owning something that is completely unique and represents hours of effort and skill."

Chris' fiance, Helen said: “Both Chris and myself are honoured and thrilled that one of our ‘slices of life’ has been chosen for such a special occasion.

"It is our first original to find a home outside of the UK and we are confident it will be continue to generate a real interest in this art form, and hopefully in our own work.”

As well as creating this art, Chris also performs at the Local and Live festival held in Tunbridge Wells and has been on the main stage every year so far.

The complete “Slice of Life” exhibition can be found at http://www.mrandmrspapercuts.com/virtualexhibition/

The remaining exhibits are still for sale and Chris and Helen are also taking commissions.