In studio
In the summer of 1979, while still a student in Italy, I was a commissioned to do a marble sculpture in Athens. I was working in this marble shop right behind the Acropolis. I was using the same pentelic marble that the ancient Greeks used. So Beautiful! It took me seven weeks to complete. From there I went to Egypt and scaled the great pyramid, even though it wasn't allowed. But I told them I was a student and they said, okay just you.
Below is some of my professional graphic design and illustration work. Please see my site at:
I have had a long and successful career in Illustration and Graphic Design, primarily in the fashion sector. I have worked in virtually every style and technique imaginable, making me something of a jack-of-all-trades, from the pencil to the computer. I still do some freelance work in the music sector for such acts as: Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, and Billy Joel. You can visit my on-line portfolio at: tomgarner.foliohd.com
Sample of Licensed Rock Music Design
I started my design career Italy were I lived and work for 24 years. This is a monograph (with handles) of that work, published in 1999 by Happy Books, Italy (126 pages)
Il Ludico
In the early 80's I was part of a conceptual art group in Italy named "Tata il Ludico". That's me in the center back. Our work was in the vein of art and language. (for more info click here: enniochiggio.it)
Gruppo Tata circa 1980
Here is a series of pieces I did in that context. They are all based on Holbein's famous French Ambassadors of 1533. His painting is noteworthy for the strange anamorphic skull in the foreground. The French Diplomatic Case. The skull is projected on a replica of the lute case found below the bench they are leaning on, the lowest register of the celestial, terrestrial, and infernal spheres. The diplomatic case is never opened at border crossings, such as between life and death.
The Ambassador has a fine skull pin in his hat. I recreated the skull pin in anamorphosis. It is carved in antique ivory on the front, mounted on 14 carat gold molded in negative on the back with a circa 8" gold pin. It has a matching laquered wooden coffin to to repose in
Holbein's Hat pin made of carved antique ivory and cast gold
This poster was an assignment I did for my design class at the Accademia di Belli Arti in Venice. We were supposed to design a poster that expressed the contradictions of the Accademia. So I came up with Accademia Brand Chewing Gum. Chiggio, my professor, liked it so much that he hired me to work in his design firm in Padua, and that was the impetus that got me started on my 24 year stay in Italy.
Here are some pictures of a mural I did at the Replay Store in Paris at Les Halles circa 1994
Here is some of the Art work I did while still in my teens