Details: 5607 x 5571 pixels 300 dpi Original Art Work 2020

ABOUT THE ARTWORK:

The “Dark Series” is an emotionally dense body of work created on various mediums, canvas, linen, or board, featuring dark, broad black textured strokes. Townley was in New York for 4 years searching for the perfect space for the art center of NYAFAIR and NewYorkART.com venue. For the entirety of 2019, he built an art center, NewYorkART.com, with a staff of 20 which was 15,000 sq. ft, 3 levels and a cafe. In Feb 2020, Townley had a vision of dark times to come, which was revealed in his work called the "Dark Series". The "Dark Series" was displayed as a solo show during the month of March 2020. It just so happened to be the exact month the world was taken over by Covid, especially New York. This was the final month and the closing of the New York Art Center to follow Townley’s solo show. 




ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Shane Townley

Shane Townley (b. 1972), Ithaca, NY, grew up in the beautiful town of San Clemente spending most of his time as a kid surfing the San Clemente Pier in perfect 70-degree SoCal weather. Years later, Kurt Cobain had just died and Townley, depressed, was painting in his garage when a close artist friend urged him to attend graphic design school, a place where he felt would further develop his creativity. It was in 1994, while attending the Platt School of Art & Design that Townley was actually asked to leave the school for creating personal works of art in defiance of the designated educational curriculum.

Since then, Townley has worked for several commercial newspaper and magazine publications, where he felt that, as a designer, his artwork was a tool for corporate waste. The motivation to separate himself from an environmentally destructive industry sent Townley on a road trip across the US to eventually establish his first organized art shows for friends in a collaborative space called, 104, in San Clemente in 2004. Here, Townley dedicated himself to studying art, art history, and delving into the landscapes he saw that fueled Townley’s passion for environmentalism. Back in his hometown of San Clemente, it was obvious that the planet was changing for the worse; now, surfing seasons were in 80 to 90-degree weather and feeling cool coastal air meant running the air conditioning the whole day. Townley’s oil paintings started to feature dark skies, on a hopeful horizon, and rich, potent landscapes designed with globs of oil.
 At this moment, Townley is focusing on his communal artist exhibition space, LagunaART.com in The Shops of Mission Viejo, California. In this space, the artist painted in May 2021 a 12ft x 12ft environmental piece called “Mother Earth”. The large scale painting features, trash collected from patrons, paint, bold textures, and highlights a pair of eyes crying down the canvas over an abstracted polar ice cap. This piece is currently on display in LagunaART.com Gallery on the second floor between Nordstroms and the Apple store. Townley also collaborates with hundreds of artists to present a new 30-day exhibition on the 1st Saturday of every month.

Instagram: @shanetownley

Website: https://shanetownley.com/