Pinellas artist's unique collages is one for animal lovers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Gianna Pergamo is the owner and artist behind Pergamo Paper Goods in St. Petersburg, an art and gift company based around Gianna’s collage art. 

 “I like to say its vintage-inspired collage art for animal lovers because it’s all different animals either dressed up or as mermaids,” she says.

Gianna digs through stacks of old fashion magazines looking for inspiration. She’ll combine vintage style clothing with different animals to create quirky postcards, stickers and even earrings. 

“I’ll stick things together until I find something that is funny, or unusual, or that I’ve never thought of before," she says.

Gianna suffers from bi-polar disorder and has had times in her life when she’s been extremely depressed for months at a time. 

“It has shown me that when you feel good, it’s incredibly important to do what is meaningful to you," she describes.

Gianna forces herself to create her art even when she doesn’t feel good. 

“I always feel calmer afterward. It’s kind of like meditation because you are focused on one thing,” she says. 

Gianna's work can be found in about 300 local stores. A couple of big ones are Florida Craft Art in St. Pete and the Dunedin Fine Arts Center in Dunedin. But all of her work is for sale on her website.