Wild About Wood is a new exhibition by the talented woodworker Michael Cleary.

Michael grew up in Townshend Street in Skibbereen, but he now lives and has a rural workshop at Cappaghglass in Ballydehob that keeps him close to nature.

His practical and imaginative works will be showcased at a new arts space at The Marino Church, off Wolfe Tone Square in Bantry, from June 3rd to June 12th.

This will be Michael's first solo exhibition, which seems appropriate given that much of his work was inspired by solo bike journeys throughout the world.

Some of the works on display at the Marino Church, which will be open to the public daily from 11am until 5pm, were inspired by the internationally acclaimed American woodturner Sam Maloof.

As for George Nakashima, who was born in Washington to Japanese parents, his unmistakable style was also a strong influence on Michael's work.

The fact that George Nakashima sold his car and purchased a round-the-world tramp steamship ticket, and spent a year in France working odd jobs to fund an artist's lifestyle, has parallels to some of Michael's life choices too.

In the mid-1980s, The Southern Star carried a number of reports about Michael's travels to India, where he worked for six months as a volunteer at a drug rehabilitation centre in Goa.

Prior to his departure, Michael had been a familiar sight cycling all over Cork and Kerry. And while in India he cycled back from Nepal, having gone there to have his visa renewed.

Solo cycling is never lonely, according to Michael, who described some of the amazing sights he has seen, such as the Himalayas.

He also valued the friends he made along the way. But there was one thing he could never get used to in India and that was being described as 'a very poor Englishman.'

At one stage, Michael cycled from Baltimore, Maryland, across the USA to Seattle, where he worked remodelling wooden houses for a small company.

On another occasion, he took his wooden boat to Alaska with a crew mate who later became his wife. Liann Bryan Cleary is the author of the wonderful book The Scent of Rain on Sage: A Memoir of Recipes Made Gluten Free.

Michael said they worked around Alaska for four years before sailing to Washington, where they built a geodesic dome that they lived in for a time.

Meanwhile, back in Ireland, Michael found an outlet over the last 10 years by occasionally touring Spain by bicycle. That included last year's 600 km journey from Bilbao to Valencia.

In terms of his adventures and his woodwork, Michael, who incorrectly claims to be 'semi-retired', has done it all – he's even made a coffin.

Visitors to the exhibition can expect to see some unusual items, while others will be drawn to the more traditional Irish furniture, including works that will reveal the inspiration for the rocking chair.