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Eduardo Mutuc Born in Apalit, Pampanga on October 12, 1949 and already 73 years old. He dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas, are in churches and private collections. He discovered his talents in sculpture and metalwork when he was 29, he decided to supplement his income from farming for the relatively more secure job of woodcarving. He starts his story by saying that he came from humble beginnings, born to parents who were farmers and growing up with nine other children in the family. He never reached high school and began helping his family on the farm right after his elementary graduation. Eduardo Mutuc's early influences and mentors included his Father, who was also a woodcarver. Tatang Eddie is a very modest, quiet man who doesn't like to brag about his achievements. He begins his story by stating that he was raised in a large household of nine children and was born to parents who were farmers.
He never finished high school and started working on the family farm as soon as he finished elementary school. Tatang Eddie married at the age of 20. In his late 20s, he began an apprenticeship as an assistant in an antique shop run by the Lozano family, who were also his relatives. During this time, Mr. Carlos Quiros taught him the basics of wood carving. Later, he dabbled in the local metal craft known as "pinukpuk" due to the process used to emboss designs onto metal sheets, which are then utilized as decorations in mostly ecclesiastical things. He initially developed his abilities by imitating existing patterns, but as the years passed, he improved at introducing his original ideas. His favorite designs these days include the so-called callado which features intertwined leaves and flowers engraved on silver- plated yellow brass. Tatang Eddie has established himself as one of the best metalworkers in the country for more than thirty years at this point. His commissioned works include ecclesiastical pieces such as altar tables and tabernacles, and collectors' goods like candelabras, picture frames and even salakots. In Manila, Tesoro's sells a few of his goods.
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