We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomas Flynn Ii and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomas, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As a new father, a husband, a small business owner, and an artist – balance has taken an all-new importance in my life. It’s tough to make it all work. There are a million things to get done, all the time. Family wise, balancing being a good and caring partner to my wife, physically taking care of a new human and bearing the ever-unfolding mental weight of fatherhood. In business, there is always marketing, client correspondence, accounting, creating new products and their launches – as well as the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that comes with the territory. On top of all of that, being an artist which is in many ways impractical, producing luxury market items with a very specific clientele and its own set of gate keepers – but knowing that there is no other career choice that would satisfy my mind and soul. Since becoming a father, my time has never felt more constricted – nor more focused and dedicated. Truly modern life is a paradox. I had a friend tell me that parenthood forces things to drop off because they are in essence “not important”. It’s been very enlightening to see people, priorities, and how I show up for myself shift so rapidly. When I first started down the path of a full-time artist almost 4 years ago, I thought that I could do everything and I put a lot of pressure and blame on myself to make it work. Now, I know for certain that I can’t do everything, and that naturally some things will take a backseat. Some opportunities will get passed up, some deadlines will be missed or extended. And that sometimes, I’ll still get down on myself for not applying to every show, getting pieces done for a certain application – or wondering “what if” this opportunity was the one that would change everything. I can tell you, that so far – there has not ever been the “one opportunity”. My career has been a series of events and steps that lead into one another, with each building on the last, with no one being monumentally “more” than another. I truly believe in the adage that if you improve 1% a day, you will be over 300% better in a year. My opportunities this past year would shock and awe (and quite possibly overwhelm) the version of myself that started on this journey. In essence, I balance what is important and drop the rest – I don’t see any other way to do it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a painter, and through my work, I seek ways to make sense of the world. Throughout my life, there have been moments that pull me out of the ordinary—moments that reset my perspective, inspire reflection on something larger, clear away obstacles, and dissolve distractions, even if only briefly. These moments can arise in many forms, but I’ve found that walking along a forest path, with the sun briefly seizing my vision, is a powerful catalyst for such shifts.

In my paintings, I use nature, color, and perceived light as tools to capture and revisit these fleeting mystical encounters within the forest, always under the presence of the sun. Working both in the studio and en plein air, I treat each painting created outdoors as an active interaction with the natural world. I often incorporate natural materials such as clay and river water into my work, blending them into the paint and onto the canvas. Using found objects to scrape and manipulate the paint, I reveal and obscure layers, creating textures that echo the complexity of nature. My canvases, often flat with exposed torn edges, resemble swatches taken directly from the landscape, with loose threads and irregular silhouettes reflecting the rawness of nature.

In many ways, I’m painting the landscape as it is perceived and as it transforms. My recent work focuses on capturing the essence of landscapes undergoing complete and irreversible change. I’m particularly inspired by art’s ability to transform perceptions of the world—to reveal the eternal hidden within a kudzu leaf or suggest that the key to personal breakthroughs might lie in one’s own backyard.

My artistic style is deeply intuitive, built on experimentation and prioritizing the process of painting itself. Lately, I’ve been working with shaped wood as a way to further explore the Appalachian landscape and its reciprocal relationship with human thought and desire. Just as we shape the land around us, the land shapes our inner worlds.

Recently, I opened TF2 Studio + Gallery in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta, following the sudden and unexpected closure of my previous studio at MINT ATL. TF2 Studio + Gallery is both a workshop and a gallery, offering visitors a glimpse into the inner world of a working artist. Here, I create pieces for private collections, interior designers across the country, and regional exhibitions at institutions and commercial galleries. The gallery actively showcases my newest work, offering an ever-evolving perspective on my artistic journey.

As an arts professional, I aim to meet collectors where they are, whether they’re seeking their first piece of art, commissioning something extraordinary, or exploring available fine art prints. I welcome appointments to view my latest work and to discuss how art can transform and inspire your space.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m relatively new to the city, but we’ve found some spots that we really enjoy. For food, you gotta go to Gene’s – a new BBQ joint in East Lake. Big fans of everything there – especially the fantastic folks who run it. We also love ELA in Virginia Highlands and South City Kitchen. I also like grabbing food at Ponce City Market – such good Mexican sandwiches there! Atlanta has so many good food joints.
Artwise, always gotta recommend the High – definitely an institution worth supporting and visiting. There are so many fantastic galleries throughout the city also – I love Spalding Nix, Memento Gallery, Swan Coach House Gallery, and the whole Goat Farm Complex. There are also hundreds of fantastic artists maintaining studios in the city that you have to seek out and visit. We would of course go check out my place, TF2 Studio + Gallery in the West End.
As far as hanging out, I love the diversity of public parks here – Piedmont, Grant Park, and even Oakland Cemetery is cool to visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh, this one is easy – I attribute so much of what I’ve accomplished and who I am to my wife. It’s tough to start a business – but I believe it’s 100% harder to be married to a person who starts a business. Even when I have trouble seeing the vision and lose hope, my wife is constantly reorienting my perspective and reminding me of what’s important. It is truly my wish for every creative out there that they have someone in your corner fighting for you and rooting for you, even when you aren’t rooting for yourself. There is no greater attribute to my success than her.

Website: https://www.thomasflynnii.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasflynnii/

Image Credits
Madison Nunes

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