ARTIST HOOKED ON FISH

YOU could be forgiven for thinking Mick Molnar was holding a real fish.

In fact, the talented artist is holding a handpainted, recycled pine timber recreation of someone’s prized catch.

Mr Molnar, of Mick Molnar Marine Art, uses a jigsaw and angle grinder to create lifelike fish, turtles and other marine creatures before painting them in acrylics.

“People hang them in the pool room, they hang them in the house,” he said. “Lots of people catch and release now, it reminds them of a fish they caught.”

The former schoolteacher said he first created one for his sister as a Christmas present before other relatives requested similar creations.

And things snowballed from there – Mr Molnar has made hundreds of fish since he began just under three years ago.

Mr Molnar said an order took up to six weeks to finish after working off a photo.

“There’s lots of steps in between it, lots of drying time,” he said.

Mr Molnar said designs ranged from 50cm to 1.5m long at about $6 a centimetre.