The work
Aloha. This is The Fisherman. The sculpture is Kou, and the base is Milo. The Hawaiians use Kou to make tools, bowls, all kinds of things. It is a really nice wood, and the grain is beautiful.
Avi, on The Fisherman.
The fisherman is always my connection. My family comes from fishermen, and I came to Maui to connect with the ocean and the people. I think the fishermen are the best connection between the land and the human being, the ʻāina. They bring you the food, the happiness and the health.
You can see the two hands and the head at the top. Then he has two arms with hands, and the hands are like fins. He can swim, or they are like a paddle, a paddle for the canoe.
In the back of the sculpture are two family members, like The Commoner: the head and the body. The body shows some triangles. These triangles are good luck for the fisherman and the people. They are like shark teeth. When a shark bites, it is a perfect triangle. It is good luck, protection from the ocean.
Keep turning around the sculpture. It is made with oil, and I invite people to touch it and connect with the energy and the mana of the wood. You need to touch it to connect. This fisherman waited a long time to talk to you.
It took me three or four months, sometimes a little longer. Making the sculpture is the first process. Then comes the long process, the sanding and finishing: 16 to 18 or 20 coats of oil, and sanding to 3,000 grit. It takes really, really long. It is like a Stradivarius in the music world. I hope you can hear the music of the fisherman.
I hope you enjoy it. Mahalo.
THE ARTIST'S VOICE
Look closer.
Avi walks around Lawaiʻa, pointing out the details that hold meaning for him.
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Hands like paddles
“The two hands are like paddles, so he can paddle. It's half fish, half human.”
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The shark-bite triangles
“These triangles are not only decoration. When the shark bites, it's a perfect triangle, and for the fishermen it's good luck when they go fishing.”
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The family on the back
“On the back are two family members, maybe a wife and a daughter or son. Always they protect it.”
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Made to be touched
“I always ask my collectors to touch the sculpture. Don't be afraid. The finish is only oil, so the wood can breathe and connect with the people who touch it.”
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A milo base
“Milo is a little darker, and stronger. When you cut milo it's completely red, like blood. Sometimes I think I cut myself, and it's not, it's the wood.”
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Red into dark lines
“When you put the oil on the milo, the red turns into these dark lines.”
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The head
“This is the Fisherman. Here, at the top, is the head of the Fisherman.”
In the round.
Wondering how it would look in your home?
MEET THE ARTIST
Avi Molinas
Guillem “Avi” Molinas Bort is a self-taught painter and sculptor from Barcelona. In the Pyrenees he completed public bronze commissions in Val d’Aran, and form in the round became part of how he thinks. On Maui since 2006, he works from Maliko Gulch on the North Shore, in wood carved from gifted Maui timber.
UNIQUE ORIGINAL SCULPTURE
Lawaiʻa | The Fisherman
Avi Molinas · 2021
$16,500
- Medium
- Kou and Milo wood sculpture
- Dimensions
- 12" W × 18" D × 28" H (30.5 × 45.7 × 71.1 cm)
- Edition
- Unique original
- Base
- Milo base, attached as part of the sculpture. No pedestal; sits on a shelf or table.
- Signature
- Signed on the bottom, with AVI stamped into the base.
- Documentation
- Certificate of authenticity available on request.
- Shipping
- Secured, insured shipping included in the price.
- Viewing
- May be viewed at Avi's studio by appointment for qualified collectors.
MORE BY AVI MOLINAS
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