Artist Spotlight: Anne Bohne Curtis

A couple of years ago I was walking through a showroom at High Point Market and noticed Anne Bohne Curtis’ artwork. First, the name Bohne rang a bell (realized went to school with her brother) and then the card said artist from Savannah, Ga (p.s. where I am from) so I knew I had to follow her career and make a connection. Furthermore, I believe this is the year she created designs for Lacefield Designs (more info below). Fast forward a couple of years, this past fall when I was decorating my daughter’s nursery, I knew I wanted some of Anne’s well known bunnies.

1- WHO INSPIRED YOU TO BE AN ARTIST?

I feel fortunate that I have people around me that have both encouraged and inspired me throughout my life. As a young child, my talented grandmother who was also an artist lived around the corner from me. She would let me experiment with her pastels and oil paints and I loved sharing that creative time with her. Also, my parents have always been very encouraging about pursuing my creative interests. They made me feel like my artistic ability was something unique and special. And then, of course, my husband was my biggest supporter when I wanted to pursue my art on a more full time basis to give us some flexibility with the care of our son. 

As far as those who inspired me to pursue this as a career, I remember as a young teenager being fascinated by female creatives that built successful brands, notably the late Kate Spade. It was so encouraging to see that there were women that were building their own creative careers. Currently, I am inspired to continue my own path by witnessing the constantly growing pool of female artists and designers that have been able to carve out their own space in the art world. It is exciting to see the rise of careers in art and design Sally King Benedict, Teil Duncan Henley, Lulie Wallace, Justina Blakeney, and Caitlin McGauley just to name just a few!

2- TELL US ABOUT YOUR COLLAB WITH LACEFIELD DESIGNS? 

It was so much fun! I started working for Lacefield right after college and was a designer there for 10+ years. I was thrilled to have a career where I was making a living through painting and creating designs that ended up on fabric for products all around the country. They have such an amazing team creatives and I miss many of my colleagues there. Lacefield has done a few collaborations at the time with some unbelievably talented artists when they were so kind to ask me if I would be interested in creating a collection using my personal artwork under my name. I focused on creating a collection that gave a nod to both my love of color and texture in painting and symmetry and repeats in pattern making and textile design.

3- WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PAINT?

It's always changing but I am currently working on landscapes and taking some creative liberties on the color combinations and that has been a lot of fun. I generally just love painting pieces that I would personally want to live with!

4- I KNOW YOU ARE A NEW MOTHER AS WELL, HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK, FAMILY AND ME TIME?

With help and a schedule! I enjoy the uninterrupted time that I get to paint so while it is work it also does feel a little bit like ‘me time.’ My son goes to daycare 3 days a week and my mother- in- law takes care of him in the morning once a week. I stay pretty focused on doing nothing but painting on the days that I have help with him. There are definitely days that I don’t want to do it but continuing to find a way to work and evolve as an artist feels like a great step in personal growth. It’s not easy getting any work done when he is at home so I just focus on my time with him when he is with me.

5- FAVORITE DATE NIGHT PLANS? 

Right now, its putting our son down to bed at 7, lathering up with hand sanitizer, picking up take out from one of our favorite neighborhood spots. Ha! No dishes. It might be a little while before we get to go out again but luckily we have become pretty comfortable with just enjoying a quiet night at home. When things calm down a bit, I love getting dressed up and trying out a new restaurant with my husband, Brett. There are so many wonderful places in Atlanta and Brett is really good about finding new places that he thinks we should try. We also love being able to visit my hometown, Savannah. Brett went to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for his undergraduate degree so we both know the city and love heading downtown.

6- TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR BUNNIES AND HOW THIS SERIES HAS EVOLVED?

The bunnies were my first collection launch on my website. I was working full time as a designer at the time. I hope this isn’t too personal but I decided to do the collection after I had experienced a miscarriage with our first pregnancy. I was pretty devastated and wanted to do something creative that took my mind off of the frustration of our loss so I started painting them in the evenings after work. It was close to Easter and there was something so sweet and joyful about rabbits in bright color combinations. I also wanted to create something that was small, accessible and affordable to customers that just wanted a little pick-me-up. My first launch sold out on the first day and it was just the personal boost that I needed at the time. This is my third year doing them and I really love to focus on trying new color palettes and combinations.