Thomas Barbèy grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, across the street from the “Caran D'ache” factory, the largest manufacturer of art supplies. He started drawing seriously at the age of 13, using black “encre de Chine” and gouaches for color. His influences were Philippe Druillet, Roger Dean and H.R. Giger. After living in Geneva for 17 years and designing posters for musical bands, he decided to move to Italy, where he lived in Milan for 15 years making a living as a successful recording artist, lyricist and fashion photographer.

A Thai man smokes a cigarette as he sits in the flooded streets October 10, 2011 in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Around 200 factories closed in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya because of flooding, which is posing a threat to Bangkok as well. Over 260 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Some areas of the country are experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years, mainly in the centre, north and northeast. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

An African immigrant tries to jump a fence into a ferry terminal in the western Greek town of Patras April 28, 2015. Afghan, Iranian and Sudanese immigrants, living precariously in abandoned factories in Patras, southwest Greece, try to stow away on nearby ferries to Italy as they seek a better life in Europe beyond crisis-hit Greece. (Photo by Yannis Behrakis/Reuters)

Mohamed Mostafa, 35, carries dyed yarns at a dye workshop in old Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2016. Egypt's hard currency crisis and competition from modern factories in Asia and at home threaten one of the last dye workshops in Egypt. But one of its owners takes comfort in the trade's ancient resilience. Mohamed Mostafa boasts that the profession dates back 3,000 years, so it can survive anything. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

Thailand's badminton player Ratchanok Intanon, who hopes to win gold at the Rio Olympics, receives a massage during a morning training session at a gym in Bangkok, Thailand, June 22, 2016. As the humble daughter of factory workers at a Bangkok sweet-maker, badminton was a ticket out of poverty for Ratchanok Intanon, who hopes winning gold at the Rio Olympics might inspire more Thai girls to chase their dreams. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

The 1963 Batmobile is shown in this photo released by Heritage Auctions, HA.com December 5, 2014. The earliest known officially licensed car of comic book superhero Batman is up for auction on Saturday. The 1963 Batmobile is believed to be the first custom car to be licensed as Batman's swanky ride and could fetch up to $500,000, according to officials with Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. The opening bid is $90,000. (Photo by Reuters/Heritage Auctions)

Police walk past a burning car during riots in Birmingham City Centre on August 8, 2011 in Birmingham, England. After three nights of rioting and looting in and around London, the chaos is starting to spread to other cities around Britain. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)