PRESS
JUNE 10th 2023
GEORGE OSWALT SHOW IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, FOR ADULT AUDIENCES
The Oklahoman
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An artist whose large oil canvases 'ask questions' — and that may be an understatement — is showing through July 1 at the 1515 Lincoln Gallery.
The artist, George Oswalt, was born in Oklahoma City in 1949. He is a painter, songwriter and art critic, as well as a full-time artist.
We see a man lying on a bed, a towel over his mid-section, as a dog eyes the head and shoulders of a glamorous blonde turned away and shedding a single tear in one large oil painting at the show. Noting that his work represents a 'hybrid of nature and society,' Oswalt calls this challenging 42-by-56-inch work 'Dagwood and Blondie, 2022.'
Challenging, too, is his 'Prisoner of a Dream … Wish Kiss Diptych.' In it, one painting depicts a woman's chained, bare foot by a piece of cloudy blue sky pie, while the other portrays one figure chastely kissing another's cheek. Also visually enticing is 'Hang Time,' in which a woman in a black swimsuit swings over another woman in black, diving into wave-tossed waters.
As if that weren't enough to make us suspend disbelief, other elements include a man's head in the water, a hanging statue, and an airplane overhead.
No less surreal yet well-painted and realistic is his oil of a woman leaping towards a ball, and another female embracing the lower part of a nude statue at a children's park.
Presiding over the oil, called the 'Fragmented History of Beauty,' is still another woman, this one in a turquoise dress and wearing mirror reflecting glasses.
Notable works in a side gallery room include a nude woman, a red horse jumping, and a reaching hand, seeming to search for their identity in a lush garden of children's toys.
Equally mysterious is an oil by Oswalt called 'The Beauty and the Beastly Midnight Flow.' In it, a brunette female in turquoise clasps her hands beside the more crudely painted dripping face of a man or circus clown.
Reflecting some of the contradictions between realism, surrealism, pop art and post-modern art, Oswalt's solo show is highly recommended, at least for R-rated 'mature audiences.'
Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, call 405-593-1063 or go to www.1515lg.com.
DECEMBER 27th 2022
THE ART OF COMMUNITY
Architectural Digest
EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN - OKLAHOMA
There was a time when people of all backgrounds would gather in artistic collectives to discuss the latest ideas in art and culture. It’s with this in mind that Susan McCalmont and the team at 1515 Lincoln Gallery (formerly Objets Trouvés) have renovated an elegant 1920s home into a gallery designed to satisfy the community’s creative curiosity.
“We’ve created a salon environment where artists, musicians, poets, and guests can gather,” says McCalmont, founder. “This is a space designed to bring a sense of warmth and peace as guests meditate and mingle over glasses of wine.”
Influenced by her background in art history, McCalmont’s selections come from more than 50 artists representing a myriad of styles, decades, and cultures all melded together in a single setting. A brass Indian table may be placed next to Dutch paintings and Japanese furniture, allowing visitors to focus on the pieces that speak to them rather than fixate on a singular artist.
Though the art is enough of an attraction on its own, McCalmont believes that connection cultivates a deeper appreciation of the environment. To accomplish this, the home’s living spaces were converted into galleries laid out to encourage diverse interactions with friends and strangers. Whether an art collector, historian, or an inquisitive passerby, visitors will find the gallery is a place to celebrate creativity.
“Art shows the importance of beauty in our lives,” McCalmont explains. “It’s a representation of how we see the world, and, in my opinion, the world is a beautiful place.”
