About Apolo R Tirol

Artist & observer of nature

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Apolo's childhood was rife with self-discovery of nature. Being the seventh child in a brood of eleven, he grew up with much freedom to investigate the flora and fauna that thrived in their large backyard, all their cousins' yards, and Cainget Beach at the Tirol family compound in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. This developed into his peculiar love for animals; cute and scary ones alike. He would catch insects; spiders and scorpions were his favorites, and would study their behaviors intently. He knew exactly which ones were poisonous and which ones were harmless. He has a special affinity to snakes and pythons, which he would catch and keep as pets. This love for animals would flourish into a small pet shop business, which he maintained until 2001.

From the beginning, Apolo had instinctively tread the unconventional path. He was, and still is, naturally inclined to finding joy in unstructured activities, where he could discover his own solutions and creations. This also meant that traditional schooling was not the primary avenue for excelling. Nevertheless, he pursued various options for a college degree, eventually gaining a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. However, ironically, he has not worked a day in the health care industry. Instead, he devoted his time to tending to the family's farming assets, while pursuing entrepreneurial creative activities on the side. In 2022, he breathed life into metal sculptures from pieces of junk he collected from local junk dealers. This formed his first series: Junk Art.

In 2023 and 2024, he experimented on using semi-precious metals, such as copper, brass and silver. He learned how to forge metal sculptures using oxygen and acetylene gases. His first wholly forged metal sculpture was "Christ's Last Breath" (2024). In 2025, his forged metal works gained momentum resulting in two mythical creatures, the "Dragon Seahorse," and the "Griffin." In the same year, he discovered another methodology for brass, which gave way to his Bonsai Series. In 2026, he began working on a Jose Rizal head by first creating a clay version to use as a mold to cast brass. This brought to life "Rizal in Bohol" which is fully made of brass, using a new-found casting method. His story continues to unfold year on year, as he ceaselessly discovers new artistic expressions using metal. Curiosity remains his guide.

He lives and works in Dauis, Bohol with his wife, Cristine, seven dogs, two cats, an iguana, gazillion fish and birds. He has three children from a previous marriage, two step-daughters and two step-sons.