Carmelo Tosti was born in Tropea, Calabria on the southern toe of Italy, in 1965. A town known for its sweet red onions and peperoncini (hot peppers), it is no wonder Carmelo is so gifted at rendering the elegance and splendor of fruit on canvas. He was classically trained as a young man in drafting and painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome and then returned to his hometown to paint still lifes of the fresh fruit and vegetables available at local fruit stands. Carmelo has an ardor for painting and a passion for his mother’s cooking and local produce which he so lovingly merges on canvas.