Thom Byrne Gallery at Folio operates as an art gallery inside Folio Interior Design at 1555 Camino Del Mar #104 in Del Mar, CA 92014, open Friday evenings from 4 PM to 8 PM and by appointment at other times. The gallery showcases the work of Thom Byrne, a self-taught San Diego-area artist whose career spans more than 40 years and includes international recognition from prominent collectors worldwide. Byrne grew up in Hollywood and Palm Springs, spending formative summers in Laguna Beach among the Sawdust Festival collective of artists before moving to Boston at age 25, where he trained in historical restoration. That experience launched a successful career in high-end decorative finishing—murals, wood graining, sponging, and glazing—for clients from Rancho Santa Fe to New York City, building a reputation based entirely on referrals. Visitors staying at L'Auberge Del Mar, the luxury coastal hotel just steps away on Camino Del Mar, can walk to the gallery as part of an evening in the Del Mar village. After decades of decorative work, Byrne shifted his creative focus to assemblage art, abstract painting, and mixed media. His 2022 exhibition "Steel + Bone" drew attention for its collection of robot sculptures constructed from flea market finds—1950s steel hairdryers became shoulders, dental anesthetic parts formed rib cages, and taxidermy glass eyeballs gave faces their uncanny gaze. His first sculpture, a contemplative droid called "Neobium," set the tone for the series. Each piece required sourcing matching pairs of vintage components from swap meets and garage sales, then painstakingly filling gaps with epoxy and sanding the joins until aluminum and steel blended seamlessly. Byrne has described the goal of his assemblage work as provoking wonder and confusion in equal measure, pushing viewers past conventional seascapes toward something unexpected. The gallery's placement within Folio Interior Design creates a natural crossover between collectible fine art and curated home design, attracting buyers who want statement pieces that anchor a room. Dinner afterward at Sbicca, located nearby on the same stretch of Camino Del Mar, pairs well with a Friday gallery visit.