BOB TIMBERLAKE is an internationally known realist painter who makes his home in Lexington, North Carolina. After graduating with a B.S. degree in Industrial Relations in 1959 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he worked in five family businesses in a hands-on, executive capacity. He married his childhood sweetheart in 1957 and has three children and seven grandchildren.

Timberlake began painting as a young child, but began his professional career in 1970. Although he received no formal art education or training, his work is best known for its intricate attention to color and detail. His depiction of the simple life in his native North Carolina home has endeared his work to millions of admirers around the world.

Timberlake's art career has been marked by consistent and resounding success. The first exhibition of his work was held in 1970 at the Gallery of Contemporary Art (now SECCA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The show sold out immediately. He has had eight highly successful exhibitions at New York City's prestigious Hammer Galleries. His first show at Hammer Galleries sold out prior to opening and subsequent shows have also achieved this level of success. Timberlake's work has also been exhibited throughout the United States, including the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Frye Museum in Seattle, Washington, the R.W. Norton Gallery in Shreveport, LA, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of History, the Huntington Museum in Huntington, WV, the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina and internationally at the Isetan Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. In 1990 and again in 1991, Timberlake was selected by the renowned Hubbard Museum in New Mexico to exhibit his works in competition for the prestigious Hubbard Award for Excellence, which recognizes outstanding American Realist artists. After opening in New Mexico, the exhibition traveled to Moscow and Berlin.

In 1995, Bob was honored by the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, North Carolina with a 25th anniversary retrospective showing of his work entitled "At Home in North Carolina with Bob Timberlake".

Throughout his career, Bob Timberlake's work has been featured in scores of magazines and newspapers including The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Magazine, Art Voices/South, Midwest Art, Southwest Art, Today's Art, Art World News, Southern Living, Southern Accents, Audubon, Acquire and Reader's Digest (only the second time an artist was featured in that publication).

Timberlake has released seven books: The Bob Timberlake Collection (with text by Charles Kuralt) in 1977, The World of Bob Timberlake in 1979, Somewhere in Time in 1989, Roots and Reflections in 1998, an autobiography, Partial to Home: A Memoir of the Heart in 1999 and a cookbook, The Seasonal Palette in 2000. The most recent publication, Bob Timberlake, Recipes from Home, was released in the fall of 2004.

Not content to confine his talents to a single medium, Bob Timberlake has designed four stamps for the US Postal Service. His work was featured on the 1980 Seasons Greeting Christmas Stamp, both the North and South Carolina Statehood Stamps (1988, 1989), and the bi-centennial post card for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993.

Timberlake has been honored by Presidents Carter and Reagan in the White House for his work with Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and by Prince Charles in Buckingham Palace. Well known for his charitable endeavors, he has received numerous awards in recognition of his service to the Boy Scouts of America, the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Keep America Beautiful, Inc. He has also been the recipient of the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Medal for Artistry (the only artist to receive this prestigious award) and the American Forestry Award. Timberlake's donation of a print release entitled "Jonquils" as well as additional donations of other limited edition reproductions have raised approximately two million dollars for the Duke Children's Hospital and Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center. The latter institution honored him in 1989 with the Shingleton Award for his support of cancer research.

In 1979, the artist was the honored recipient of the North Carolina Public Servant of the Year Award. Other humanitarian awards include The North Carolinian of the Year from the NC Press Association and the Silver Beaver, which is the highest honor awarded by the Boy Scouts of America.

Bob Timberlake received the American Forestry Award for "Enhancing Public Appreciation of America's Natural Resources through Art" in 1982. He is a life member of the American Forestry Service.

In 1990, Timberlake launched a highly successful licensing company, Bob Timberlake, Inc., with The World of Bob Timberlake^® collection of furniture. This collection revolutionized the industry by introducing the concept of branding a furniture collection according to a famous personality or lifestyle concept. The collection was recently named the most significant introduction of a line of furniture in the last 40 years.

Since that initial offering, seven additional lines have been released: Old Salem in 1994, An Arts and Crafts Collection in 1998, Riverwood in 1999, Lodge in 2000, Grandkids in 2001 and Vintage Reserve in 2002. Bob Timberlake furniture has passed the $1 billion mark in sales. Bob Timberlake has licensed products to over 20 leading manufacturers in many other areas including home textiles, home furnishing accessories and apparel.

Timberlake has been presented with several awards in the home furnishings industry as well including the top designer award for bed fashions from Cotton, Inc. in 1993 and the prestigious Academy of Achievement Award from the Accessories Resource Team (A.R.T.) in 1994. He was recently awarded the 2004 International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) Trailblazer Award.

In 1997, Timberlake introduced a collection of 24 home plans and licensed structural and fashion building components in order to create complete Bob Timberlake homes, built and furnished with Bob Timberlake products. The first Bob Timberlake show home was built in High Point, NC in 1997. Since then, additional show homes have been built in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Utah. Bob Timberlake home plans are currently available through Southern Living^®.

Also in 1997, Bob Timberlake opened a new 15,000 square foot retail facility, The Bob Timberlake Gallery in his hometown of Lexington, North Carolina. The gallery features Bob Timberlake art, apparel, furniture and home furnishing accessories as well as a broad selection of gift and collectible items. The Bob Timberlake Gallery also has a fine collection of the artist's original paintings and memorabilia showing some of his many and varied collections. A second Bob Timberlake Gallery opened in September of 2001 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

In addition to the retail facilities, Bob Timberlake offers a comprehensive gift and accessories catalog through Bob Timberlake Direct, a division of The Bob Timberlake Gallery. The catalog features a broad range of both Bob Timberlake licensed products and related products, which are offered through The Bob Timberlake Galleries. Consumers also have the flexibility to buy Bob Timberlake products online through an e-commerce website - www.bobtimberlake.com. Exclusive Bob Timberlake accessories, home textiles, apparel and more are available through a retail relationship at Bass Pro Shops throughout the United States and online at www.basspro.com.

In December of 1999, Bob Timberlake held his eighth exhibition at Hammer Galleries in New York City, one of his most successful to date. During 2000, a travelling exhibition entitled "Andrew Wyeth/Bob Timberlake: Painting on Familiar Ground", exhibited the artist's work at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, The Fayetteville Museum of Art in Fayetteville, NC, the Saint John's Museum in Wilmington, NC and the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia. In January of 2002 the exhibition was shown at the Chapel Hill Museum in Chapel Hill, NC. The Appalachian Cultural Museum in Boone, NC hosted "Bob Timberlake: Across Time, An Originals Exhibition" in the fall of 2004.

The Bob Timberlake Inn at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, NC opened to the public in September 2004. The Bob Timberlake Inn is an 8-room bed and breakfast featuring Bob Timberlake furniture, lamps, accessories, artwork and personal mementos in the historic Manor House at Chetola.

The year 2005 marked the 35th Anniversary of Bob's professional art career. In celebration of Bob's 35th Anniversary and the 35th Anniversary of Piedmont Community College in Roxboro, NC, the college hosted an originals exhibition to honor him. The retrospective exhibition entitled "Bob Timberlake: Coming Home" was held in June. Bob's ties run deep in Roxboro. In 1905, Edgar Anderson Timberlake moved his wife, four sistersin- laws and widowed mother from Roxboro (Person County) to Lexington where his descendants, including his grandson, Bob Timberlake, still live today. After 100 years, Bob "returned home" to commemorate this event. The Timberlake Family History was also featured at the Person County Museum of History in Roxboro during his exhibition.

On January 19, 2006, Governor Mike Easley presented Bob Timberlake with the "Order of the Long Leaf Pine" during a private ceremony at The Bob Timberlake Gallery. "Bob Timberlake is not only known in our state, but also around the world for his rural landscape paintings and award winning furniture designs," Easley said. "The citizens of this state are truly proud and honored to have such a talented artist calling North Carolina home."

An announcement was made on March 1, 2006 that The World of Bob Timberlake furniture, America's most successful furniture line in history, would continue to be domestically manufactured in Lexington, North Carolina, thanks to a partnership between Bob Timberlake, Kepley-Frank Hardwoods, Inc., and Lexington Home Brands. Since The World of Bob Timberlake debuted in the fall of 1989, many furniture companies have shifted major lines to oversees production. But Bob Timberlake remained dedicated to his beliefs. He insisted this line be produced in the United States, preferably in his own hometown.

In January 2007, Bob Timberlake celebrated his 70th birthday. To celebrate Bob's birthday and legendary career, The Bob Timberlake Gallery in Lexington hosted "Bob Timberlake - Celebrating 70". This exhibition was a unique gathering of 70 original Bob Timberlake paintings - each commemorating one of Bob's 70 years. The exhibit also featured childhood and early works, as well as highlights from Bob's career in furniture and home design. The exhibition was the first of its kind at the Lexington Gallery and was originally scheduled for June 15th – July 28th but was extended through August 31, 2007 due to popular demand.

Bob Timberlake is currently the chairman of Bob Timberlake, Inc., the licensing company that acts as manager and agent of the Bob Timberlake brand across two divisions: Bob Timberlake Licensing and The Bob Timberlake Gallery.