Salvador Flores Loreto was born in Algeciras, Spain into a large gypsy family whose tradition is flamenco and bullfighting.
A former bullighter, he turned to singing and painting after being gored by a bull.
Loreto never received a formal education. Under Franco's fascist Spain he was denied an education because he was a gypsy. He managed to briefly study in an art school in Algeciras. After being commissioned to undertake several major public works he began to exhibit as a solo artist until his arrival in Australia in 1966.
In Adelaide, Australia, one of the highlights of his career was to twice have the privilege of painting the authorised portrait of the late Don Dunstan, former Premier of South Australia. These paintings now have great historical significance in South Australia, as they are the only known portraits in existence that the late Don sat for. The final portrait completed in 1998 now hangs in the foyer of the Adelaide Festival Centre. During his long and varied career Loreto has exhibited in Europe and Japan and Singapore. In Australia - in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.