Raymond Waites to open New Vintage Gallery in High Point
Will debut in time for April market
Susan Dickenson -- Home Accents Today, 2/26/2008 6:36:00 AM
Designer Raymond Waites has begun readying a permanent space at 1313 North Main Street in High Point to house his New Vintage Gallery of original art. Waites and curator Russell Erik Berge are planning an official launch during this spring’s High Point Market and putting plans in motion for two more galleries in New York and Florida.
The High Point gallery will remain open year-round, showcasing Waites’ paintings and “furniture as art” designs alongside the work of other artists. “Yes, furniture as art -- that’s one of the things I’m trying to do,” Waites said. “Well, I don’t know if that’s the right word, ‘trying,’ but I’m saying furniture can be art, and sculpture as well.”
In addition to wall art, Waites’ one-of-a-kind pieces include accent furniture and accessories, such as a canvas-covered Louis XV chair painted in abstract images. “It shocks you a bit, some of it is functional and some of it isn’t,” he said.
Waites has a degree in fine arts from Auburn University and is enjoying this recent move back into art, and to North Carolina. His recent purchase and restoration of a 5-acre estate in the old Emerywood neighborhood of High Point includes the transformation of a garden shed into a sky-lit studio. “I think also at this time in my life, coming to High Point was part of my focusing; there’s an incredible amount of creative talent here,” he said. “It’s very rewarding. I get up every morning, go out to the studio and usually paint from about 7 or 8 until early afternoon.”
In addition to experimenting with techniques, he’s also putting his brush to chairs, sofas, lighting and wallcoverings. “I got one of my chair carcasses out of the factory, just the understructure, and I painted it all up and sewed medallions on it. I’m calling it ‘Not a Chair.’ I don’t want people to sit in it, so I put tacks all over the seat to make that statement. It’s sophisticated, with a sense of humor and whimsy about it, but it’s riding that edge -- is it art or is it not?”
A gallery opening celebration is tentatively planned for April 6, provided everything is in place. “I know I’m taking a gigantic risk. With furniture design, I’ve always considered the livability of things, their place in homes all across America, but fine art is a different thing. I once heard a speech by Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he said when you look at world cultures, it’s the usable art that is most remembered -- the vessels, the glasses, the chairs -- and that’s where I’ve always applied myself. But fine art is such a personal statement between you and your media.”
Waites is also busy readying new market introductions for Laneventure, John Richard and The Phillips Collection, and is scheduled to appear during market week at the opening of a month-long show of his work at Auburn University’s Museum of Fine Art.
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