Painter, furniture designer, and entrepreneur: Bob Timberlake still imagining at 75

Bob Timberlake turns 75 today, as full of energy, imagination and passion for his craft as when he burst upon the art scene 42 years ago.

Ask colleagues and peers, civic and economic officials what's at the core of Timberlake's appeal, and they will say it's an authenticity that pours from his persona into his art.

Timberlake is an example "of how far-reaching one creative person can be to their community and the world," said Linda Carlisle, the secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

"He's right at the top of the list because he has touched so many people with his art and his economic efforts with the furniture plants. He has embraced those efforts at the highest level."

Rather than being content as a regal lion in the winter of life, Timberlake talks about upcoming projects, indicating that retirement is far from his mind.

"To me, 75 is just a symbol that there's more crazy ideas to try and see to fruition, more fun to be had, more chances to give back and more time to appreciate the many blessings in my life," Timberlake said with a twinkle in his eye during an interview at his Lexington gallery.

"People seem to sense there's something different about my work. I believe they see the love and affection that's poured into it."

A short list of what's on Timberlake's plate includes:

• The World of Bob Timberlake furniture line — by far the best-selling collection in industry history at $1.3 billion in wholesale sales since 1990 — has been reinvigorated through the offshoots Another World and Bob Timberlake Home being made by North Carolina manufacturers Century Furniture and Linwood Furniture.

Since being founded in 2006 to handle the World of Bob Timberlake line, Linwood is producing its own furniture and has hired 150 full- and part-time employees.

• Major exhibitions of his artwork will appear at High Point University, running mid-March to early May, and at Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, in September and October.

• The launch of two concepts, one of which is called "artography" — a photographic blending of his art and furniture debuting at the spring High Point Market.

• The transformation of the 15,000-square-foot gallery at 1714 E. Center St. into a public showroom befitting of the hundreds of art and furniture pieces for sale.

"Why would I retire?" Timberlake asked. "I can't imagine having more fun being retired. The designs just continue to pour out of me, and I need an outlet from them to flow into."

Dan Timberlake, the artist's son and general counsel for Bob Timberlake Inc., said his father was 33 when he decided to follow his art full time and 53 when he got into furniture design.

"Both times, people thought he was crazy," Dan Timberlake said.

"Now, he's 75 and he wants this to be the last new chapter, so he's making sure he's lining up the best in the business — just like it was in the beginning."

Bob Timberlake jokes that it's probably illegal to turn 75 without giving in to some level of reflection, so he does.

He remains amazed that a dresser that he designed and built while he was 14 and 15 was selected by Ford Motor Co. as representative of the creativity of youth in the 1950s. The project took him 350 hours.

His list of mentors seems to cover a country mile, including:

• a craftsman (Fred Craver) who shared his love of furniture;

• a wealthy industrialist (Armand Hammer) who opened his eyes to the world during his formative years;

• a car whiz (Lonnie Smalley) who took a shine to his curiosity and taught him patience;

• a Winston-Salem sculptor (Earline King) who voiced her support; and

• the operators at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem (now the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art) who urged him not to settle for less than his best.

That encouragement eventually led to his first one-man painting exhibit at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in May 1970 — a career-defining hit.

"I'm truly nothing more than a piece of fabric woven together by the people who've influenced me," Timberlake said.

When asked how he separates Bob Timberlake the man from Bob Timberlake the brand, he chuckled as he said he didn't plan to become the face for marketing, among other things, dog food, rugs and books.

"I didn't even know what eclectic meant when they described my furniture that way," he said. "I just knew there was a void in the marketplace for design, comfort and functionality that I felt I could help fill."

When asked about his secret to success, Timberlake said it comes primarily from something most people don't see in him — selfishness — and being willing to face head-on the "what ifs" of life.

"Everything I do, I do it for myself and my pleasure, and I'm pleased other people like it, too," he said. "I know a piece of art or furniture is done when I'm ready to take it and put it in my home."

Timberlake readily shares his firm belief that God has been a guiding force over his life, which requires praise, accountability and responsibility on his part.

He also firmly believes how people react to life experiences shapes them.

For instance, it's clear there is a lightness about Timberlake these days.

It's the byproduct of having a heavy emotional weight — a business partnership with Lexington Home Brands — lifted off his shoulders in a mutual decision in late 2010.

He's also being fueled by the satisfaction of proving American- and Davidson County-made furniture still resonates with consumers willing to pay for quality craftsmanship and design.

The collection was birthed in 1990 by Timberlake, and Smith Young and Jeff Young, the father-and-son team that owned and headed Lexington Furniture.

However, after the company was sold, and after the abrupt departure of Jeff Young as its top executive in August 1999, the relationship moved from friendly to increasingly adversarial.

Timberlake adamantly believes there is no substitute for American-made furniture, making his position clear at numerous High Point Market presentations.

Meanwhile, management began moving aggressively in 2000 to shift manufacturing to third-party vendors offshore to obtain lower labor costs. Lexington has closed all of its U.S. manufacturing plants, slashing at least 2,200 jobs in Davidson County alone and at least 3,202 in the state, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

Timberlake took those plant closings personally because family members and friends had worked in them for years, if not decades.

Management wanted Timberlake to move manufacturing of his collection offshore, but he refused, citing production and quality-control issues. He did allow wicker furniture and some chairs to be made offshore.

One uneasy compromise was reached in 2004 when Timberlake approved a lower-priced imported line, Salt Aire. The line struggled to find an audience and was discontinued in 2010.

Timberlake said he focuses on the silver lining he found in the partnership divorce.

"We would not be where we are now with the collections with Century and Linwood — people (there) who understand and appreciate our vision — if not having gone through the trials and tribulations of those 11 years," Timberlake said.

"I had so many pent-up ideas that I literally exploded when I got started with Century and Linwood."

As examples, Timberlake pointed to a dining-room setting in which four removable buckets for chilling oysters or beverages hang from the four corners of the table. He also pointed to a large bed frame that leaves room on the side for someone to easily step onto the mattress rather than having to hoist themselves.

"I hope I have open-enough ears to listen to others' advice and have filters good enough to discern the good ideas from the bad, and to learn from my wrong decisions," Timberlake said.

"I'm just as frustrated as anyone by having doors close before me. But I've come to realize many of those doors were meant to be closed and that there was something better down the road."

Jeff Young, who serves as chief executive of Chinese manufacturer Schnadig International Corp., said the World of Bob Timberlake collection works so well because it's a reflection of the man who designs it.

"Bob has never wavered from placing principle above profit, even if that meant personal and financial adversity," Young said. "Keeping furniture jobs in Davidson County has brought him as much satisfaction as many of his most-acclaimed paintings.

"I imagine he will continue to design and dabble for many more years because it's not really work for him. It all comes out of his heart."

Carlisle, of the Department of Cultural Resources, said she believes Timberlake's success "comes back to his artist's eye and how he captures shapes, colors and forms. He's taken that into all his endeavors."

Carlisle said she considers Timberlake "a treasure" because "people see authentic North Carolina culture in his artwork. They also see the soul and warmth of the artist and of the community he's painting."

Jerry Epperson, a financial analyst serving the home-furnishings industry, said he considers Timberlake "one of the finest men" he has met.

"Not only is he talented with his artistry, he has a warmth and confidence that allows him to show love and friendship in a way few men can express," said Epperson, managing partner of Mann, Armistead and Epperson of Richmond. "As a result, everyone loves to work with him and will go to great lengths to meet his expectations.

"His family also reflects Bob and (wife) Kay, and the lives that they lead that are, in a way, the American dream — happy, successful children, religious faith, close friends, helping your community and business success."

Epperson said he marvels at how Timberlake can separate the man from the brand.

"It is a balance that few can achieve successfully, and it has taken a very unique support network of family and business associates that he has assembled," Epperson said.

Timberlake's authenticity inspired a Lexington woman, Joyce White, to write a birthday homage of what he has meant to her and the community.

She said Timberlake's artistry provides her with "one of the most important and valuable gifts of my life: to simply pause, to listen, to notice, to pay deep and thoughtful attention to what or who is standing right before my very eyes … to set aside life's busy pace to stop and rest there awhile, to take in a long, deep, soothing drink of time."

Timberlake says he still finds satisfaction from his role in the creation of the internationally known Keep America Beautiful public service campaign from the 1970s featuring Iron Eyes Cody, who portrayed a Native American weeping over litter and pollution.

"Our focus with those public service announcements was on fourth- and fifth-graders," Timberlake said. "Well, those kids are now among the people who have taken the green movement by heart with themselves, their families and communities."

Timberlake said he plans to share in as many family adventures and journeys as possible, including basking in his grandchildren's accomplishments.

"I've just been so fortunate, even now, to be able to follow my heart wherever it takes me," he said. "I've also been fortunate that wherever my heart has taken me, there my treasures lie.

"I get up every day excited about the possibilities of the day. I'm still learning and I plan to do so the rest of my life, God willing."