Born in Ohio from parents of European descent, Tony Pavone's childhood was filled with art, operas, musicals
and passion for culture. His artistic abilities became evident when, at
the age of 3, he opened his father's anatomy and art books and drew the
internal anatomy of the human body. His father, an artist, as well as
an opera singer, would take Tony, along with his three siblings, to all
the local operas - exposing them to the stage designs and the
performance excitement. [no-sidebar]
His mother, a concert pianist and organist, performed regularly at the
cathedral in Cincinnati. The artistic abilities of his parents would be a
great influence on his own future endeavors. Art played a primary roll
in Tony's life. In his youth his favorite amusement was studying and
imitating the styles of artists such as William Blake, Frank Frazetta, Heinrich Kley and Michelangelo Buonarroti. At the age of 8, he began working with his family creating stained glass windows
for local churches and restaurants throughout the mid-west, using new
Plexiglas materials - a patented process Tony's father invented.
At the age of 10, his family moved to Florida, and after high school,
Tony received a full scholarship to the University of South Florida for
symphonic string bass. "The more I played music, the more art pulled at
me". Before long, Tony left USF and enrolled in the Ringling School of
Art and Design. Earlier in his professional career Tony worked as a graphic illustrator
and rose quickly to creative director, then to Art director. These
positions had him working with clients such as JPMorgan/Chase,
Lufthansa, Hallmark, Delta Airlines. After working for more than 15
years in graphic illustration, fine art called him back and Tony returned to his passion.
