Roberto “Pasta” Pantaleo is a world-renowned game-fish artist and the proprietor of Islamorada Art Gallery by Pasta, at mile marker (MM) 81.5 in Islamorada, Florida Keys.
"Pasta", a nickname bestowed upon him by his older brother because of his heavy Italian accent, is a native of Italy. He spent most of his childhood in an Italian immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, prior to making his way to South Florida in his late teens.
Though he worked as a commercial graphic designer for much of his professional life, he sold that business in 2006 and moved to the Florida Keys. He always held a deep passion for fishing, boating and painting, and the Keys were the perfect environment for him.
It was the sea and its inhabitants that truly inspired Pasta, and his natural artistic talents proved to be the catalyst which set the stage for his true calling. His enviable career as a premier marine artist began in 1999, when he was commissioned to create a poster for a South Florida fishing tournament.
Early in his career, he invited other Florida Keys art galleries to partner up in his art gallery for what best could be described as grandiose and culturally entertaining evenings for visitors. These events eventually paved the way for the ever-popular Morada Way Arts and Cultural District.
Pasta remains in high demand for one-off commission works, whereas his art is among the most revered in the marine fishing world. If he’s not out fishing for “inspiration”, he’s likely to be found in his art studio working on his next piscatorial masterpiece.
