Balling works to find balance between painting, being a stay-at-home dad
In a barn-turned-studio on a 2-acre property in Lexington, Sam Balling balances painting and fatherhood, carving out moments while raising his 1-year-old son.
“(Art) is not even really a choice I had,” Balling said. “It was just always, it was just there.”
Balling’s artistic journey began long before he could remember.
Raised on a farm in upstate New York, Balling was surrounded by a creative environment. His father was a blacksmith and farrier, while his mother owned a health food store.
Art became his outlet and, as he quickly realized, a way to get by.
“I got to be good at it, and in grade school, kids were either stealing my drawings or buying them from me,” Balling said.
By 14, he said he was bartending at the St. Lawrence Inn, the local pub for St. Lawrence University, while continuing to create art. Summers in Nantucket led to pop-up shows, and in 2008, he moved to coastal Georgia, where he met his now-wife, Courtney. They later relocated to Vermont before returning to Georgia for her doctorate at the University of Georgia.
But Lexington is where they put down roots.
When their rental near the Okefenokee Swamp was foreclosed on during Courtney’s pregnancy, the Ballings needed a new home fast. A last-minute search led them to Oglethorpe County just a month before their son, Bodhi, was born.
Art in every form
Balling’s career thrives on word of mouth, leading to unexpected commissions.
One came from Christopher Buck, a leading cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute, who commissioned multiple pieces for his office. His latest request: two paintings of his favorite scientist, Paul Burke, who is developing a COVID-19 vaccine using beer yeast.
“He just received the last two paintings and told me they made him cry,” Balling said.
Balling’s portfolio spans a range of styles. In a single week, he painted portraits of Jack Kerouac, Elvis Presley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Erwin Schrödinger as a cat. His work extends into music, having directed a video for a former member of the Butthole Surfers and designed the album cover, now on Spotify.
“I can just pop up Spotify on the TV and see my artwork on the television for this whole album,” Balling said.
Balling has also painted murals for Habitat for Humanity, including one highlighting the SPCA pet bedding donation program and another promoting home repair services. More recently, he created a benefit concert poster for Georgia writer Janisse Ray to help preserve a historic church in Reidsville.
“One day from the next, I’ll be drawing somebody's cat DJing or a poster for one of my heroes from when I was a child, and then still having to bartend and scramble to get by some days,” Balling said. “But like I said, it’s all I’ve ever really known.”
A tribute to the community
Balling’s latest creation sits at The Roadhouse in downtown Athens, where he works part-time.
Commissioned by general manager Jazzmen Williams, the piece features familiar faces from The Roadhouse community, painted in the yellow and blue hues of its sponsor, High Noon, a brand of hard seltzer.
The mural pays tribute to the bar’s community: regulars, musicians and late-night barflies frozen in time.
“The first person I thought of was Sam Balling, who is not only a regular at Roadhouse but also a very good friend of mine,” Williams said. “I love his style of art, I love his realism, and I love the quirks of it all.”
Williams wanted the mural to capture Roadhouse’s strong sense of family, a place many call their “road home.”
“It was very emotional seeing the mural done and up for the first time,” Williams said. “Seeing some really familiar faces that have just played a pivotal role in my eight years at Roadhouse, and then to see High Noon be so happy with it. I think it was the first time they were a part of something that was so much bigger than just their brand.”
The reaction has been overwhelming, with regulars stopping by just to find themselves, or friends, painted into the scene.
The art of balancing
Balancing art and parenting has been a “learning curve,” Balling said. His work now unfolds in short bursts — during Bodhi’s naps or early mornings over coffee — his ottoman doubling as an easel.
Fatherhood has also reshaped his artistic perspective. Once drawn to dark, surreal themes, he now prioritizes work that feels “welcoming and inviting.”
“Now I find myself, not questioning what I was doing, but questioning the role I have now as a father and an artist because it’s not just my life anymore,” Balling said. “Not even in like the monster, scary skull stuff, but pretty much every aspect, I question, ‘What would my son think?’”
Balling envisions transforming his barn into a creative space, hosting art classes or children’s parties to share his passion with the community while providing for his family.
“I’ve always felt that a lot of artists in Athens got established and moved out to Lexington for its peace and solitude, and I kind of went the opposite, where I moved out here and need to get established.”