A double life for sculptor Jinggoy Salcedo
ANGEL THOUGHTS
Meet this talented artist friend of mine who lives a “double life,” enjoying both worlds—as a known handblown glass and metal sculptor and now a farmer.
He is Jinggoy P. Salcedo, the second son of Rudolfo and Angelita Salcedo, heir to his mother’s blown glass legacy, Angeli Glass Product Specialties. He has had remarkable success combining his passion for metal sculpture and his mother’s unique handblown glass knick knacks.
Angeli pioneered in blown-glass figurines—flowers, trees, animals, and other figures mounted on thick glass bases. She began to color the figurines and they looked even more attractive. Growing up, her son Jinggoy hung out in her atelier, fascinated.
Angeli was also known for her glass plaques and we in Bulong Pulungan media forum depended on her artistically made glass plaques to hand out to our honorees, like President Noy Aquino every Christmas party he attended. On his last Christmas party with us, we presented him with a “Daang Matuwid” all- glass miniature diorama of a straight highway with mini figurines, trees, buildings, etc. PNoy loved it.
Jinggoy finished his secondary studies at Don Bosco Technical College and then went to the Philippine School of Interior Design and then to the Philippine Women’s University.
After he got married at age 19, his parents asked him to help in their family business. He started as a humble trainee, then progressed to tinkering with the processes, and later to designing the products under the eagle eyes of his mother. Although he enjoyed being in the business, he felt something else was lacking in his chosen path. He asked permission from his mother to do his own line of sculptures, blending his dexterity for metal sculpture with her handblown glass designs.
He experienced the ups and downs of his art as a newbie sculptor, but with faith in God he continued to experiment, showing off his creations to galleries. He had to endure rejections but soon his hard work bore results and he was invited to join the ManilaArt exhibit and has been included every year since then.
Jinggoy credits Gallerie Francesca for giving him the break he needed to shine in the local art scene. It was also where he had his first solo show in 2010. “I owe Gallerie Francsca a lot,” Jinggoy told us. Pre-pandemic commissioned works from art collectors here and abroad have come in. And recently, commissioned works for Jinggoy came from Ateneo Tatak Asul and the UP College of Law, classes ’97 and ’19.
His mother, Angeli Salcedo, one of my dear friends, died in December, 2018, a big blow to her son Jinggoy. But this pushed him into looking back to his mother’s Majayjay farm (barangay Malinao) in Laguna, which she wanted to turn into a vacation place for her family. The one-hectare farm-resort was planted to fruit trees and the soil was rich, Jinggoy remembers.
Although the farm (Prea Ville Resort in his mom’s time), left to the elements, needed major repairs, Jinggoy set his heart to rehabilitate it, growing his rabbits, koi fish, birds turtles and other animals he fancied. The farm has lanzones, coconuts, santol, avocado, rambutan, and langka. The resort has its own swimming pool, recreation rooms, etc. He is an environmentalist at heart and dreams of being able to bring back the abundant flora and fauna in his mom’s farm.
Jinggoy realizes it will take a huge amount of funds to restore the farm but he is determined, and has his mother's family's permission, to put it in good shape. His ultimate dream is to transform it to an art farm and put his art workshop and exhibit there. He sees himself living here, farming, designing, creating new works of art.