Wood you like to buy some crafty art?
Local woodworker Ernie Keene is the latest Matamata Art Society member to have his art displayed at Westpac bank in Matamata.
Keene started making wooden art more than 20 years ago out of necessity.
‘‘We wanted a coffee table but didn’t want to spend $800, so we spent $100 on some kauri wood,’’ he said.
However, once family members spied his work they wanted him to make pieces for them.
His 189th table is on display – as well as tables, signs and Lazy Susans which he mostly sells at markets – at the bank.
He said the Lazy Susans are the most popular item, and the tables and decorative signs ‘‘sell quietly’’.
The signs show his sense of humour with sayings such as ‘‘happy wife, happy life’’ and ‘‘to be old and wise you first have to be young and stupid’’ inscribed on them.
‘‘If you can’t have fun, (or) put a smile on your face, it’s been a long hard day worth nothing,’’ he said.
He mostly uses recycled wood and disguises aspects such as bolt holes by making a feature out of the defect by inlaying bolt holes with shells.
Keene came up with the idea of the society members displaying their work for a month each in the bank after they did a small promotion in the bank to promote the society’s annual art exhibition.
One society member, Glennis Gaeng, has sold a painting through the display, and 20 per cent of the proceeds went to Pohlen Hospital.