Raymond Coins (aka Willie Raymond Coins)

Recognized folk artist Raymond Coins was born on January 28, 1904 in Stuart, Virginia, and grew up working on farms, and, after his move to the Winston-Salem area, eventually owned his own farm. A self-taught artist, Coins left school to work in the fields when he was in the fifth grade and received no formal artistic training. Coins began carving later in life, beginning only after his retirement in 1968. At first, Coins imitated American Indian artifacts, such as tomahawks and arrowheads before he found his own artistic style. Coins often produced steles, a slab of stone used for a memorial, sometimes carving on both sides. However, he didn’t make the bases for them, putting more importance on the making process than how the buyer might display the work. Coins' abstracted subjects appear ancient in material, form, subject, and artistic style. Although his works vary in scale, they all contain elements of timeless monumentality. He most famously carves with his local material of soap stone, a river rock, but was also known to create monumental works in cedar. A Primitive Baptist Deacon, Coins was inspired by his own prophetic and symbolic dreams of a spiritual nature.

Coins' works have been included in exhibitions at the following museums, among others: High Museum of Art, The Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Hickory Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Ackland Art Museum, and Milwaukee Art Museum.

[Source: Museum Staff]