Artist Interview-Anne Tavoletti

When it comes to buying products for your store, do you often think about the artist or designer behind the idea? Do you pay close attention to the packaging, the artwork, and the color scheme used? Taking the time to truly understand the art allows you to appreciate the products more.

At Cliff Price & Company we care about the products you buy, that’s why we chatted with Anne Tavoletti, the artist behind Kay Dee Designs and Certified International, to share her perspective of designing products for these brands. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did, keep reading more below!

“I want to thank the Cliff Price Company for giving me this opportunity to share a little bit about myself, my art and the great people and companies I am fortunate to work with. I hope to continue to grow in the licensing field and to help companies produce beautiful collections for their customers.” -Artist: Anne Tavoletti

Cliff Price: When did you begin your art career?

Anne Tavoletti: I come from a family of all artists, so I’ve been painting and drawing for literally as long as I can remember. I’ve been licensing my art for close to 20 years and before that I worked as a fashion illustrator in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pa.

It wasn’t until after I had my two sons, Marco, now 24 and Antonio 21, that I happened into the art licensing field. I wanted to be able to work from home, and a career in art licensing afforded me this opportunity. I absolutely love what I do, and truly couldn’t imagine my life without drawing in some way.

Cliff Price: When it comes to creating the initial draft, what types of mediums are your favorite to use?

Anne Tavoletti: I like working with a lot of mediums, pen and ink, colored pencil, acrylic, but I think watercolor is probably my favorite. I just love the looseness, transparency and unpredictability of it. It’s always a surprise to see the finished image and I like that.

Cliff Price: Our customers love Kay Dee Designs, what’s your favorite collection?

Anne Tavoletti: Oh, that’s a really difficult one! They’re all so very different, I don’t know if I could pick just one. I am partial to a few though, “Farm Life”, “Modern Farmhouse”, “Snowman Sentiments”, “Festive Foliage”, “Sunflower Fields” to name a few. Like I said, it’s hard to pick just one.

Cliff Price: When it comes to designing for buyers, how do you figure out what they may like to sell in their stores?

Anne Tavoletti: My agent Wild Apple meets with companies on my behalf and the various companies tell them what sort of themes/images they are in need of, in that way I can produce art that is specific to that client, on trend and in demand. It’s so exciting for me to see my art on final products, it’s like Christmas morning!

Cliff Price: That’s a wonderful feeling, where do you get your inspiration from when starting the creation/design process?

Anne Tavoletti: I get inspired from so many places, online, in stores, nature, the list goes on and on. I’m blessed to work with a wonderful art director, Jess Aiken, who sends me reference for each collection I do. After we discuss the collection I take it from there and interpret the client’s request into separate images/elements/patterns. Jess then takes the individual images I send her and puts them all together into a collection that will work well for a wide variety of customers.

We truly enjoyed getting to know Anne and have a new found appreciation for the designs she creates. If you’d like to connect with her, head to her Facebook and Instagram page!

Check out some of Anne’s designs, you might see some familiar designs! To shop Kay Dee Designs & Certified International, click here.