Page 3 - MidWeek Central - June 22, 2022

Who knew that learning to create art from nuts and bolts would lead to a success- ful career as a metal sculptor?
BY MARYANNE LONG
Hale‘iwa’s Ilnicki: A Nuts And Bolts Metal Sculptor
“A succession of fortunate experiences,” says Hale‘iwa resident John Ilnicki, “have led me happily, creatively and successfully, through over 70 years of life on earth.”
Despite his desire and educational background — University of San Francisco and then California State University Long Beach — to be a journalist, he had a wife and child to support so worked through a series of jobs from sales to man- agement of mod-type cloth- ing stores. Overworked and disenchanted with sales/ management work, he had a fortunate experience in 1972 when John Duffy, a well- known sculptor, walked into
But, along the way, Il- nicki made other lines of sculpture including bronze Hawaiian petroglyphs, and Hawaiian shadows, which were framed petroglyphs and other silhouettes of Ha- waiian dancers, surfing and tropical skylines. Those products sold successfully in gift stores and galleries throughout the islands.
Ilnicki is pleased to ex- hibit his life’s work, from the early beginnings of his Imagination in Metal series to his latest creations, the products of a world in crisis.
John Ilnicki of Hale‘iwa
PHOTO COURTESY SAYAKA UENO
For Ilnicki, the most amazing effect on his career was the COVID pandemic.
For more information, visit johnilnicki.com.
“Life is strange,” he says.
the store to buy a shirt and tie. Ilnicki’s life changed forever.
“But all during the time I was making commercial items,” Ilnicki explains.
“All my accounts closed for over a year but I needed to continue to make things. So, I began to create piec- es that I could put in 5-by-
Ilnicki’s 50th Anniversary Sculpture in Metal Exhibi-
“I became an apprentice to Duffy, who made nut and
tion is Saturday and Sun- day, June 25-26, at 59-630 B Kamehameha Hwy. in Hale‘iwa.
bolt figurines. Eventually I got good at it and bought the company. I made nut and bolt figures for the next 45 years,” says Ilnicki.
“For a break, I would create something just for me, from my own imagination. I sold a great many at art fairs but I kept a lot, if only because I was too lazy to cart them to shows or present them to galleries. As a result, after 50 years, I have a lot to display in a lot of different genres: realistic, fantasy, abstract and others I can’t describe.”
7-inch frames,” he adds. “That was the restriction, an image whether an insect on a leaf or a scene of the uni- verse, it had to fit in a 5-by- 7 frame. As a result, over a period spanning two years, I created the ‘COVID Collec- tion,’ 200 or more individual works of art on a variety of subjects that span sea, land and sky.”
MaryAnne Long is an art- ist, art instructor, art collec- tor and curator. Reach her at malong@hawaii.rr.com or longlostart.weebly.com.
JUNE 22, 2022 3
Providing Compassionate Care
for the Entire Family in Mililani
From diagnosing and treating illnesses to routine checkups and immunizations, our expert team of primary care professionals at Straub Medical Center – Mililani Town Center Clinic can provide care for children and adults of all ages to help the whole family stay healthy.
To learn more, scan the QR code.