A Masterpiece in the Making: Thays França
/By: Tori Bryl
It’s the night of August 16 th , and a full moon casts a faint night light on the energetic scene on the wave terrace at the Hard Rock Hotel. The War of Art event begins with a show of paint splattering and rock music that complements the setting. An electricity surges through the atmosphere, born from the excitement of the attendees and the lights of the hotel. A performance of competitive painting awaits nine local contestants, none used to the private act of creation being displayed publicly for over three hundred people to watch and judge live. With only twenty minutes to achieve the closest thing to a masterpiece, tension is high. Among the nervous participants is Thays França, a woman familiar with competition. This is not an event she happened upon, nor a task she prepped for in a day. The piece that wins her first place, is the result of a lifetime of dedication.
“Where I come from, art is unachievable,” Thays says in her Brazilian accent. Art is a privilege reserved for the rich and elite in Brazil. Thays grew up living in a small two-bedroom condo where she shared a room with her brother during her childhood. When her mother inherited a working farm, Thays’ father gave her one of the horses, which became the subject of her first drawings. Upon presenting her creation to her family as evidence of the animal’s beauty, she did not totally convince them she was good enough to be a professional artist. Nonetheless, she worked tirelessly to improve her skills, and in the process, fostered a deeper love and greater talent for art. She wanted to be an artist, and even at a young age, she proved that her standards were as high as her work ethic.
“I am not a second-place person,” she says. Her parents told her if she wanted to be an artist, “she had to be a good one.” It was the only way to make a living. She decided she wanted to go to the most prestigious art school in Brazil, which happened to be located two and a half hours from her family’s home. At sixteen, after competing against over hundreds aspiring students for a single seat through a series of tests that lasted a total of twelve hours, she earned her place. She commuted five hours a day via multiple forms of transportation to attend school. This further contributed to the work ethic she had already fostered.
At the age of nineteen, Thays graduated college and decided to come to the US to learn English. With her parents unable to finance this endeavor, it was up to her to raise the funds needed, which she accomplished by selling her paintings in her family’s furniture store. She embarked on a journey to Georgia with three hundred dollars and a lot of determination. She attended Georgia Southwestern State University and worked on campus, which, as an international student, was her only option for employment. Originally, she only planned to stay six months, but her six- month stint came and went before she could fully grasp the English language; so, another six months became the past sixteen years. Thays has proudly established residency and spent her entire adult life in the US.
Following her college years, Thays shared her knowledge of art with the community. She held several jobs as an art teacher, sometimes more than one at a time, including: classes at a paint and party studio, art therapy for adults with disabilities, and teaching art at a K-4 th grade World Language Academy in her native language of Portuguese. “It was the coolest and the hardest job I’ve ever had in my entire life,” she says. “The amount of responsibility that you have as a teacher is underestimated. I felt the need to be the most inspiring person…I wanted these kids to become artists in their own way.”
Years later, she found herself living in Ormond Beach, and like many east coast residents, was devasted by Hurricane Matthew. She lost a lot of business as the city recovered from being torn apart by natural disaster, an event unfamiliar in Brazil. But the hurricane winds brought inspiration and breathed new life into her work. She began painting on reclaimed hurricane wood that she salvaged from the aftermath of the storm and soon fell in love with her new canvas. “Hurricane Matthew changed my medium from canvas to wood. I love being able to repurpose destruction into beautiful art.” She further describes how her previous art was painted on blank white canvas, but her use of hurricane wood allowed her to add to a story that was already established.
The foundation of her art is story and lots of color. She begins painting “by putting every color on [her] palette.” Her work reflects the locations she’s traveled to and experienced. Her love of sailing has inspired her many water-centric paintings. Since what she paints is so connected to her, and each piece tells a story, she sometimes even struggles with letting them go. “Once they are sold, the story leaves me and travels away with buyers.” She once held off on selling one piece for four years because she was not ready to part with it. Her art business is about connecting with her work, and then passing it on the next owner.
Her achievements are many and include the title of “40 Under 40,” an award given by the Daytona News Journal that recognizes the top forty young professionals in the area. Her most recent achievement was being honored as one of the top “Women in Business” in Volusia/Flagler county. Her latest and largest commission piece to date began on October 14th and is a city approved mural at The Ormond Garage, a new restaurant and brewery that recently opened on Granada Blvd. The city hasn't allowed exterior murals for over fifteen years. “This is huge! From now on, through an application and approval process, we are able to have art on the outside of our buildings.” However, the city upholds strict regulations, but Thays is still ecstatic. “This serves as a new landmark for things to come in Ormond. In a few years, the city of Ormond will have a different look, and this will give us an even greater sense of pride.”
Thays França was instrumental in organizing and starting the Ormond Art Walk, a community event held on the first Saturday of every month, and this has helped foster the art culture and beauty of Ormond Beach. Her life is an eclectic example of hard work, dedication, and passion that has yielded exquisite paintings and inspiration to her community. We look forward to her finished mural and the many ways she will continue to brush the city with her colorful creativity and vision.
