ABOUT PASTA
Italian born Roberto “Pasta” Pantaleo spent most of his childhood in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. He inherited the nickname from his older brother Nick, often called “Pasta Fazul” by friends because of his heavy Italian accent and their difficulty in pronouncing the name Panteleo.To Pasta, as to many, the sea represented an escape from what he saw was a dismal way of urban life and eventually in 1970, as a young teenager, Pasta was instrumental in convincing his family to migrate to South Florida, the perennial land of sun and fun.During his teenage years, Pasta and his friends enjoyed motorcycles, hot rods and most of all, the challenge of customizing their rides. Pasta’s friend, Victor, was the first to implore him to pinstripe his newly customized van.
Pasta was reluctant, at first to take paint to a friend’s vehicle, but the trepidation was short lived. Pasta realized the demand for custom painted vehicles and taught himself how to use an airbrush. By the late seventies, Pasta had become a world-class airbrush artist who was commissioned to custom paint vehicles of all kinds for some of South Florida’s most eccentric characters who enjoyed the lavish Miami Vice lifestyle of the era.In 2001, Jamie Bunn of Bluewater Movements wanted to improve the image branding of his professional fishing tournament series, so he requested Pasta to create a painting on canvas that would be used as a commemorative poster and tournament t-shirt design. That request, much like the one from Pasta’s teenage friend to pinstripe for the first time, became a catalyst for a life-changing career move. “Everybody is Gonna Be There” is the name of that first painting, which appeared as a poster for the Pompano Beach Mercury/Sea Vee Saltwater Slam. The image struck a chord with the fishing public and the "Reel Life Art" phone began to ring with requests to learn about the yet-to-be-recognized marine artist who created it.
VISIT THE GALLERY
Stop by and visit Pasta's gallery located in the Heart of Downtown Islamorada at 81599 Old Highway, Islamorada, Florida 33036
