Adolfo Antonio Girala was born in Havana, Cuba in 1962. About growing up in Cuba Adolfo says, "My childhood was filled with good times spent at the beach. The endless sunny days with cool breezes are my favorite memories. The colors of this Caribbean island were so vibrant and alive that they continue to inspire my work today. The Cuban revolution had a progressively negative impact on my family and finally, in 1980, during the Mariel exodus, we were allowed to leave the island in fishing boats. I am a U. S. citizen now and I have lived in Los Angeles since my arrival in the United States. Growing up, I didn’t have the opportunity to come in contact with art due to the social and family problems I experienced. I have always felt that I had a lot of creative energy, but I never knew how to channel that energy. Becoming an artist has been a long, slow, and challenging process. The first and most difficult challenge I faced, was to break away from the Cuban machismo mentality that kept me from pursuing my artistic passion. I never read an art book and I never attended art classes. However, after an inspiring spiritual vision in 1994, I was able to express myself artistically as I had never done before. It was not something I chose. Instead, it flowed from my great desire to express myself. The blank canvas was simply going to be the avenue for my expression."