Today we’d like to introduce you to Raymond L. Haywood.
Raymond , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Raymond L. Haywood is an Afro futurist abstract expressionist painter working in acrylic and mixed media on wood panels and watercolor paper.
Raymond established his studio practice in 1985 based upon his parallel career as a carpenter, and earned his BFA in painting from UC San Diego and his MFA from San Francisco State University, drawing inspiration from Berkeley, Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Raymond L. Haywood’s path into art began early, sparked by unlikely sources. Growing up in Berkeley, he found his first creative curiosity through his stepfather, an auto mechanic whose meticulous work on cars fascinated him. That same hands-on curiosity spilled into rebuilding broken bicycles, tinkering with microscopes, building models, and filling in paint-by-number sets as a kid.
By middle school, he was already painting and drawing in earnest. But it was carpentry that shaped his real artistic voice. Raymond trained as a journeyman finish carpenter, and that trade became inseparable from his studio practice — the material logic of wood, joints, and surfaces carried directly into his canvases. He began building his own wooden cradles to paint on, and the distressed, layered wood surfaces became a signature of his work.
He earned his BFA in painting from UC San Diego, where the ocean, the Southern California light, and the coastal lifestyle left a lasting imprint on his palette and subject matter. He went on to complete his MFA at San Francisco State University, deepening his practice in the Bay Area, where he became a seminal member of the Art of the African Diaspora and later the Art of Living Black at the Richmond Art Center.
Today, Raymond is a full time Artist working from his studio in Berkeley’s historic Carleton Street Studios, Haywood fuses Afro Futurism with Abstract Expressionism — using painting, sculpture, and installation to explore identity, culture, and the layered history of the African American experience,
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Raymond L. Haywood is an Afro Futurist abstract expressionist artist working in acrylic and gouache on wood panels and watercolor paper.
For Raymond, pigment and ground allow him to share his unique visual language with the viewer.
Raymond is best known for his richly textural, layered surfaces, created by painting on his own hand-built wooden cradles, a practice rooted in his parallel career as a journeyman finish carpenter.
His Afro Futurist abstract expressionism is a denouncement of traditional abstract expressionism, exploring African American identity, culture, and history through painting, sculpture, and installation.
What he’s most proud of is creating his own visual language through the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and material choices.
His obsession with creating surfaces that evoke dream states, and his intensive mark-making process, manifest a bespoke experience of his artwork.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Community members, collectors, and institutions can support Raymond L. Haywood’s career in several meaningful ways. Visiting his studio at the historic Carleton Street Studios in Berkeley, attending his gallery exhibitions, and following him on social media (@RaymondLHaywood) all help sustain visibility for his work.
Purchasing original paintings or mixed-media pieces directly supports his practice and allows collectors to own a piece of his evolving visual language, one shaped by the intersection of race, culture, and craft. Word-of-mouth remains powerful too: sharing his work with friends, colleagues, and other art enthusiasts helps expand his audience beyond the Bay Area.
Institutions can play an equally vital role by inviting Haywood to exhibit, lecture, or lead workshops, particularly ones centered on Afrofuturism, Abstract Expressionism, or community-based arts education. Museums, galleries, and nonprofit art organizations can support him through juried shows, artist residencies, grants, or acquisitions for permanent collections.
Given his five years of part-time teaching experience in art at local junior colleges, including Berkeley City College, Laney College, and San Francisco City College, partnerships with schools or arts-education programs would also align naturally with his values. Collectors and institutions alike can reach out directly to Mr. Haywood to discuss commissions, exhibitions, or acquisitions.
Pricing:
- Large paintings $10k to $15k
- Medium paintings $4k to $8k
- Small works $750.00 to $2k
Contact Info:
- Instagram: RaymondLHaywwod
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/RaymondLHaywood
