Two of Us: Don Banks and Lynette Fisher

Don Banks and Lynette Fisher are opening a new contemporary art gallery, Gallery 59, on Friday, right next door to their business, Prestige Framing. indulge caught up with them.
Lynette on Don
I was working at another picture framers and we used to borrow the odd bit of moulding and mat board off each other, before meeting properly at a framing refresher course in Taupo in 2004.
I came to work for Don in 2005. Poor guy didn't know what he was in for. It's just Don and I in the workshop every day, so it's lucky we have a similar sense of humour and work well together.
We have clear roles and systems in place for the framing. We share the same ethic when it comes to preserving and beautifying art. Don's decision to relaunch the adjoining Gallery 59 is something really exciting we can both get our teeth into, I'm sure Don just loves getting to work every day to paint more walls. He is now referred to as Don Banksy.
We have become a hub for artists and critics to pop in for a cuppa and debate on the local art scene. Don and I relish healthy debates that break out in the tea room - everyone's welcome, particularly if they come with baking.
Just lately we have been deciding on which walls to paint in the gallery, and choosing artists we would like to show. The walls are now totally white. We have been inundated with requests far and wide from artists and galleries. One of Don's initiatives is to collaborate between galleries nationwide, meaning we can introduce some really interesting and important work that might not be otherwise seen outside of people's homes in Tauranga. We are lucky to have built some fantastic relationships with local artists and collectors.
Don's previous life as a bank manager reflects in his amazing ability to work out percentages and sums in his head. He is particularly handy with working out tricky framing jobs involving logic and precision.
I really do look forward to work, although Don would probably question that on Mondays. There is always something going on - whether we need to solve the world's problems along with the crossword, expound our unquestionably correct opinions on the local art scene, or just establish Don's latest standing on the pool ladder at his local.
Don on Lynette

I clearly recall meeting Lynette at a Guild Commended Framer's refresher course in Taupo, in 2004. Her enthusiasm and passion, not only for picture framing but also for art, became clearly apparent to me, and soon after she joined the Prestige Gallery team. We have a similar sense of humour, which makes for a happy workplace. Customers notice it, too.
Lynette has been a picture framer for 18 years. She also completed a course in interior design in 2004. She has past experience as a gallery manager and, being an artist herself, is keen to see Gallery 59 established as the destination for clients to acquire contemporary art and objects.
But that's not all for Lynette, who has a husband (and their own business), plus a school-aged child she has to work into her schedule. So her time with Prestige Framing and Gallery 59 is compressed into Monday to Thursday. Nobody to tell me "that's how it is", Friday or Saturday.