With colors to kill, there is a great ineffable complexity to the work of Shane Townley, artist and gallerist. He uses textured acrylics to create paintings that vary in style and color. However, while diverse in composition, his work can be classified as hauntingly endearing, with landscapes that show his devotion to environmentalism and mitigating the human contribution to global warming. This sentimentality is demonstrated alongside a deep understanding of emotional depths, without a clear-cut answer to what that feeling is.
Townley is not only a talented artist, but an entrepreneur. Rejected by smaller galleries while he was still establishing himself as an artist, at just 30 years old he opened his own space. There, he learned about the business of the art world, gaining knowledge that would help proliferate his ongoing success. Based in Laguna Beach, he stood out among collectors for his ground-breaking and serene pieces relating to environmental awareness. To date, he has sold over 7,000 paintings worldwide. As his success grew, he helped sell four galleries.
His journey in the New York market began with an online app called NewYorkArt.com, a top-ranking app and online collective, inclusive to all artists. After the success of his app, he was able to open his own gallery in TriBeCa, a prime location in the emerging art scene. The space has become so popular, that during weekly art-walks, the gallery is often at full capacity with a line out the door and around the block.
A connoisseur and wizard within the art community, Townley continues to assert his impact. The space is unique in that it connects three different galleries all in one location. Upstairs is the Townley Gallery, which highlights more established artists. The downstairs is designed as an art fair, a completely different element, able to accommodate a variety of artists and provide them a platform for exposure. Within the art center is Gallery 104, a beautifully curated space providing incredible visibility for artists who are notable but still emerging. A recent installation and addition to the gallery is Townley Cafe located on Broadway, which generates an abundant influx of coffee lovers, art aficionados, and curious onlookers.
Townley is a master at curation, bringing in top artists who liven up the space with their positivity and allure. With his ingenuity, his influential talent, and deep understanding of the art market, the gallery continues to thrive and prosper as TriBeCa’s leading center for art.
Townley is a master at curation, bringing in top artists who liven up the space with their positivity and allure. With his ingenuity, his influential talent, and deep understanding of the art market, the gallery continues to thrive and prosper as TriBeCa’s leading center for art.
Introduced early on to art by his aunt Sharon, an artist turned psychologist, she was the one who always encouraged Townley to create original works at just 5 years old, and as he continued to grow as an artist, he always attributed his success towards her.
However, getting his foot in the door as an artist was not easy, and it took Townley a lot struggle before his success bloomed. As Townley proclaimed, “All or nothing was my first move. At 30 years old I put everything I had in the bank and invested it all into a studio / gallery. Every penny. I felt a lot like a gambler, ‘putting it all on red’ at the roulette table.”
His obdurate stance in support of environmentalism, mainly global warming is what precipitated his love of art and continuation to create.
“Everything we are doing as humans could change for the better of the environment. I have dedicated my life to creating awareness of our natural surroundings. From the organic or recycled supplies I use in my art work, everything is safe for the environment, and in turn creates awareness. One of my goals is to have a line of books and reading material about the effects and footprint we have on the earth, with pretty my every single thing we touch,” Townley stated.
His foray into the gallery world into the online app world with NewYorkArt.com, taught him a great deal about understanding the market.
Townley explained, “I noticed everyone staring at their phones as they are walking down the streets, sitting on the subway, standing in a museum, coffee shops, stores…everywhere. Every since the invention of the smartphones, our attention is toward our small screens. I asked myself, how do I get my artwork and other artists work into those phones that everyone is staring at, how do we grab their attention in a large way?”
For his future career aspirations, he wants to continue to make an impact in the New York art scene, promoting, accommodating and giving a voice to as many artists as possible. One day he hopes for NewYorkArt.com to go public one day.
It was Townley’s vision, lack of fear and willingness to take risks that put him on top in the art world in New York City, while establishing a network of other artists and creatives to team up with, building a support network of creative individuals. Based in TriBeCa gallery space, Townley’s network of creatives is reshaping the art world as we know it. His vision that combines ingenuity, passion and vitality, is likely to fuel his continued rise in the New York art world.
