Eddie Pinnace at his workshop.

Local Artist Creates Art from Cow Horns and Wood

He is 5’-8” tall and wears thick framed glasses. A cap covers his gray hair. His quiet demeanor and measured gait, consistent with his physical appearance, hide the true depth of this inspiring artist. For years, Eddie has been creating unique sculptures with any workable material available including: cow horns, wood and plastic. One of his latest creations is a shark made of cow horns, which he proudly describes, “This one was a little difficult to create. I had to cut two different horns and put them together to get this one,” Eddie says. “This is an island, so I create things from the sea.”

Eddie’s fascination with woodworking begun by chance at the age of 23. While employed on a tanker ship in the Philippines, Eddie watched a man carve a fish out of wood using only a hatchet. He then decided that it was the kind of work he wanted to do.

Once he was back on Roatan, Eddie started creating his own works of art. “My first piece was a shark,” he says. “I sold it to a tourist at a local resort back in ‘73.” Eddie pauses and looks into the sky as if trying to see beyond the clouds. “No! This was in ‘63. I was very young back then.”

To make ends meet, while working at perfecting his craft, Eddie took time off to work as a waiter on a cruise ship and later return to what he really loves. “I loved doing this. I keep working on it and I got pretty good at it.”

Eddie works sitting on an old white plastic chair in his makeshift studio situated below the building that houses his small living quarters and warehouses his completed pieces.

The Sandy Bay native skillfully carves at what will be a pirate ship made of cow horns and wood. His tools are simple: a machete, a small hand saw, a jars of glue, a hammer, sand paper and a sander.

Once completed, the pirate ship, like most of his work, will be sold on one of Roatan’s beaches. “Most of my work is sold on West Bay beach” he said. “My best sales are on Good Friday, when there are more visitors on the island,” says Eddie. “I love doing this and would continue even if I had a million dollars.”

Eddie works on his pieces during days when there are no cruise ships in port and spends cruise ship days showing his work to tourists. His passion allows him to make a living and be independent. “I set my own hours and work as long as I want. I like not having someone tells me when to start working and when to stop,” says Eddie.