Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francisco Adaro attended La Salle art school. Adaro’s family - especially his mother - were extremely nurturing of his artistic talents. Even as a 4 or 5-year old, he was singularly focused on drawing and painting and though he worked odd jobs here and there, he never entertained the idea of not being a professional artist.

When he left art school, he became a muralist for the city of Buenos Aires and would also sell small drawings in the street to tourists. One such tourist became the center of an epic whirlwind love story and also his wife Brooke, Gontarek. Brooke is from the beautiful 30A area and brought him to South Walton where they set up their first art gallery, Adaro Art.

Adaro always paints the world around him but does so with a quick wit and playfulness that brings a lot of joy to the viewer. He creates works that are equal parts sophisticated and childlike by using traditional oil paints, compositions and techniques to paint people and animals with exaggerated features. Adaro’s figures are often reflective and dreamy, often enjoying the uncomplicated simple moments of peace or joy or bliss.

His two young children, his wife and their bounty of rescue pets (their opossum Speed bump, two dogs Salvador Doggie and Jetson, the cat Pablo P-Cat-O, the two goats Feta and Vincent van Goat, his two white chickens Johnson and Johnson, the rooster Pasta Mountain, and his two rescue squirrels Pants & Pockets) are an endless source of inspiration.

Francisco Adaro’s passion for life and his humor are infectious and translate through his work. One can immediately tell the type of person he is when viewing his art. It’s colorful, inviting, warm, imaginative, unique, one-of-a-kind, and it may not be your cup of tea, but it’s definitely not something you’ll forget.