The craftsman Juan Molina dives into the soul of the centenary olive trees, recovering their memory for us.

The Molina family comments: “There are secrets in nature that are only revealed to us when we relearn to look, when we accept that the future lies in respecting and integrating nature into our lives. The olive tree is one of those secrets, a complex and difficult tree to approach that hides an interior of exciting properties, capable of travelling through history and legends“.

The Art of the Olive Tree, created in 2010 in Jaén, a place with the highest concentration of olive trees in the world, recovers the waste from the annual pruning of olive trees in the province of Jaén, to transform them into pieces of contemporary craftsmanship for its customers. A complex and patient action that this family carries out with the conviction that it brings us all closer to a more valuable and healthy life.

“It is necessary to dry and care for the wood for two years after pruning to prevent it from splitting or moving during the development of the piece. Once it is dry, we can start working on it, taking into account its peculiar behaviour and the density of a tree, which can be 200 or 300 years old on average” explains Juanma Molina, Juan’s son and creative director of El Arte del Olivo.

“A trunk needs several years of drying until I can work it and get to know it inside, but if you wait, if you manage to understand it, it always manages to surprise you and teach you” says Juan Molina,

In most cases, the shapes of the branches themselves, their indentations, the width of the trunk or the curves of the contour are the starting point for the design of each piece.

The objects created by El arte del olivo are coated with olive oil, the best antiseptic, which is used to protect them and make them last forever.

Juan Molina’s designs are highly valued in countries such as Japan and China, because of the magical power they give to olive wood. Some chefs also incorporate these olive wood utensils in their kitchens.

“The olive tree is like a bonsai, it grows slowly and slowly, but it agglomerates in its wood all those years, translating them into a dense, strong and precious material, ideal to avoid the absorption of liquids in the kitchen and with a great natural antibiotic power“, says Juanma Molina.

Juan Molina

From an early age, Juan Molina developed a great manual creativity that helped him to earn a living repairing objects and materials at the school where he was boarding. He later trained as an industrial master, setting up a mechanical workshop.

At the age of 44 he came into contact with the olive tree and began a new activity, creating his first handcrafted pieces with olive wood from the annual pruning in Jaén, his homeland. Juan Molina treats the wood that comes into his hands as if it were a work of art in the rough, which he skilfully transforms with his skill as a wood craftsman.

Juan Molina is a master craftsman recognised at European level and a member of the Homo Faber Guide. He has been nominated for the Spanish national prize for craftsmanship thanks to the quality of his pieces.

Together with his family, he currently leads the workshop El arte del Olivo, where they create utensils, furniture and lamps by rescuing the memory of centenary olive trees.

Source: El arte de el olivo.