We recently connected with Georgia Florena Shaban and have shared our conversation below.
Georgia, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
This past year I designed and painted 2 murals at the Rhode Island SPCA. For the last few years, I have been exhibiting my art & goods at their annual fundraiser, called Paws in the Park. Each year, I painted a different canvas backdrop for the dogs to take a selfie in front of:) This got me thinking that the RISPCA needed a spot in their building to take photos with the newly matched animals & their forever families on their adoption day. I proposed this idea to the president and he really liked it, and informed me that they recently secured a new facility and were in the process of gutting and restoring their next space. Fast forward a few months, he called me to tour the new building and we came up with 3 different art projects I could provide. Not only the photo op adoption spot & some signage of 20 different dogs running to show the way to the dog kennels, but also a larger mural in their education room for kids. This mural is from a painting I had done, called the Zoom Sesh. It depicts 16 animals on a zoom call, some listening better than others. This project really warmed my heart and brought together the things I am most passionate about – creating artwork that makes you happy, the wonderful work the SPCA is doing for our animals and kids getting involved to do good.
Georgia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a painter, designer and maker that has been creating the Tatutina brand of happy art & fun products.
Tatutina, a Rhode Island based company, was originally founded by my mom, Barbara Ottmar and developed by two of her daughters, Roberta O’Neill and me. For over thirty years, Tatutina has been creating fun products and designs with vibrant colors and charming bold graphics. Together we produced and manufactured hundreds of artful products and sold to numerous stores over the years, including Garnet Hill, Company Kids, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bye Bye Baby and so many wonderful independent gift shops, online stores and catalogs across the U.S.
My influences are rooted in my art-DNA inherited from my mom, grandmother and great-grandmother, a life long love of making things and being born in Italy (where the appreciation for design, craftsmanship is unwavering and artistic expression is all part of the Bella Vita).
Today, I am leading the charge by focusing on dog and cat designs in my own line and licensing artwork to companies. Inspired by my own family and pets, I love to dream up and create artwork in my signature style of happy graphics with vibrant colors, strong lines and playful prints. My feel-good work conveys the sweetness, love & humor our animals give us everyday. For instance, I have recently launched a line of art prints for the laundry room. The dog prints are titled, Missing Sock Laundry Service, with different breeds holding a sock in their mouth. And the cat prints are titled, Floof’s Fluff + Fold, with a kitty on top of freshly laundered towels in a basket. I love to use the pet’s classic antics in my work and I feel my characters have so much to say that people can relate to the emotion through our strong connection with our animals.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Back in the early 2000’s, we were cranking out designs & products, selling them across the country. During this time we had sourced a small factory in China to manufacture our wooden products. We could not keep up with the demand of making them ourselves here in the states. We started importing 40 foot containers and did not stop for several years. The industry started to change, our sales reps began to go out of business. People began to shop less. Our inventory was always tricky – we were ordering before selling at tradeshows. One of our top sellers was a line of wooden letters for a child’s room – we were challenged to keep the right balance of letters, always running out of vowels:) Another product that we sold thousands of units, was our Take-out Menu Box. A wooden box for the kitchen to keep take-out menus inside. Technology ended this one with people ordering online and on their phones.
Eventually we ended our importing business. Our sales took a hit and we are now building them back up with new art & ideas everyday.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Having been a biology major in college, I have been primarily a self-taught artist. I wish I had moved to digital art earlier. I learned Adobe Illustrator at RISD night school. And am currently learning to draw & paint on the IPad with Procreate. I see other artists using more technology to work smarter not harder. Also, the freedom to create anywhere is such a huge benefit to digital work. The other major plus is the space requirement – you do not need a large studio to house paints, canvases, etc. It is never too late to make changes in your life, they may just take longer than you would like.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tatutina.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatutina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TatutinaStudio/