Tony La Mula: Inspired by birds

Source: El Nuevo Día

Ceiba.- If you ask any resident of Ceiba about Ángel Manuel Rosario, they probably would not know who you are referring to. But if you mention "Tony La Mula," not only would they know him, but they would even point you to where this veteran artisan carver lives, up in the heights of the Barrio Saco.

He earned that nickname through sheer hard work, as he worked as a street vendor selling arepas (stuffed maize patties), pastries, fruits, and piraguas (shaved ice) in a wooden cart pulled by his mule, named "Avispa" ("Wasp"). In that rustic vehicle, he also began selling his first crafts after a sleepless night during which he decided to start shaping a cart pulled by oxen out of a piece of wood.

"I started ruining wood with nobody to teach me... until I made the oxen. I used to make them very skinny at first, and while I sold arepas, I also sold the little ox carts," recalled Rosario, 77, who has since discovered his passion for the art that he continues to practice to this day.

In his "abandoned palace," as he calls his home and workshop, amidst sculptures, mosaics, and the clutter of a creative mind, this resident of Ceiba not only unleashed his imagination but also began teaching his art to other young people and his family, sculpting all kinds of animals, but especially a variety of birds.

"My children are better artists than I am," declares the artisan confidently, who has been acclaimed for his wooden creations along with his wife and one of his children.

"Now I'm making small items priced at 15 to 20 dollars, and sometimes when I go crazy, I also start painting," he adds.

For Rosario, everything has the potential to become art. Hence his motto, "Your trash, my treasure"; he has always enjoyed experimenting with various materials. "I've been living off what people throw away for over 40 years," he says with a laugh.

Yet he asserts that his greatest guide is his unwavering faith, which he not only embodies in his works but also in his daily life. That is why he greets every person who visits his workshop with a "God bless you" and bids them farewell by giving them a stone or seashell with a positive message.

"My vision has already changed from mere material things; I believe that wonders can be created, materially speaking, for educational purposes, but the greatest education you can have is God," he says with his saw and wood in hand, ready to continue sharing his knowledge with whoever is willing to learn.