When Western Gallery Founder and Director George Irwin started his art virtual gallery in January 2020, he embarked on his mission to connect art lovers and artists to the cultures and heritage of western North America. 

Growing up taking family trips to North Carolina and Colorado, there was something about the landscapes of the North Texas suburbs that left something to be desired, Irwin describes on the company website. Suburban houses, aging shopping centers and endless traffic spanning the numerous highways, he said, began to wear on his soul when experienced every day, so he started to surround himself with art and bring the beauty of the West into his daily life. 

Now, with a growing Instagram presence, a podcast—Horizons—and a virtual gallery complete with online exhibitions and art from artists around the world, Irwin is interested in how the digital landscape is changing the art world and has helped many of the artists on his roster with navigating the crypto/NFT space.

Moving forward, he hopes to continue work on his “Working Artists Community,” which was created to help emerging artists make the next step in their careers. As the gallery has continued to grow, Irwin said he is starting to see the fruits of his labor, stating a number of artists he began work with at the very beginning have since gone on to begin significant careers in the genre. 

"Desert Homestead" by Whitney Gardner

"Study of Lyle the Silversmith" by Aaron Garlick

Irwin, in an interview with Kinute, described Western Gallery’s origin, importance and future goals.

What is the WG origin story?

I started the gallery in January 2020 and I started it because I realized I had a weird set of skills and I had inadvertently built an audience on Instagram by posting artworks that I liked. Having had my career in web design and development and also having spent time in Nashville as a musician, I learned about how to package and promote artists.

All of that kind of came together and I thought, well, you know, this makes sense for me to just start an online gallery, so I did that on the side.

My first show was at the point in COVID where people were really starting to freak out. It was like a couple of months into the quarantines and the show served as a really good outlet for artists and collectors and it was a good gentle start.

Why do you find this work so important?

The most important thing, I think, is making connections between artists and art lovers and a wider love for the west and environmental and conservation issues, which are all kind of all intertwined.  

One of my favorite parts is being able to pay artists for their work. Whenever I write a check to an artist, that's exciting for me. 

I think raising awareness about different issues of the west through art, which is not necessarily done directly, but just showing art focused on the west naturally incites that kind of conversation.

"Distillation of Life No.1" by G.L. Richardson

"A Southwest Rainbow" by Debbie Carroll

"Old Land" by Anna-Sophia Lagos

What is your long-term goal for WG? Do you hope to open a physical gallery?

Right now Western gallery operates all online and we have a pop-up planned for this September, which will be our first in-person show. But, long term I would like to have obviously a physical gallery location, of course, and a significant roster of artists that continue to show work that is important in both the Western sub genre of art, but also in the wider contemporary art — raising the perception of the Western subgenre of art, from a regional tourist kind of thing into recognizing the importance of this work.

"Strobe" by Luke Anderson

"Vertigo" by Taylor Crisp

How do you find new artists?

The way that I initially found artists was through Instagram. I grew an audience and really just developed relationships with a lot of artists that I was interacting with on Instagram. Then, most of the artists that I work with on an ongoing basis have participated in group shows that I've put on.  

For example, the first show that I had — which is now my annual flagship show called New Western talent — is an open call, so anyone can apply. Often through that, artists that have compelling work that we and that I get along with, I may continue to show their work, or ask them to show regularly with the gallery.

"Large Cactus Flower" by Brit Hansen

"Cholla with Flowers" by Brit Hansen

"Roadrunner Feathers" by Brit Hansen

Is there anything else readers should know?

The best way for people to keep up with what's happening with Western Gallery is by joining our guest list, which is our email list. There's a signup form on the website. And then through our Instagram, which is @westerngallery.