Richmond artist highlights local arts, industrial history in newest MacDowell Gallery exhibition
Feb. 4, 2026 -- Richmond artist Joseph "Joe" T. Swanson draws on the city's artistic and industrial history in "Oil and Water," blending abstract gestural painting with traditional landscapes to create work rooted in a sense of place.
"Oil and Water"
is on display in the MacDowell Gallery through April.
The exhibition
features abstract gestural paintings alongside plein air works and larger-scale
oil paintings depicting landscapes and railroad scenes. The pieces reflect
Swanson's practice of moving between abstraction and representation, allowing
each approach to inform and strengthen the other.
"Oil and Water"
connects these distinct approaches, connecting them through shared themes,
intention, and color palette, while allowing each to remain visually and
conceptually independent.
Swanson is known
for his mixed media paintings, marker drawings, and aerosol murals. His studio
practice combines abstract and expressive painting and drawing with graffiti
mark-making and motifs, often using nontraditional techniques and materials. He
holds a Master of Fine Arts in visual art with a concentration in painting and drawing
from the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University Indianapolis.
His work has
been featured in solo exhibitions at IU East in Richmond; Arts Place in
Portland, Indiana; and Illinois Central College in Peoria, Illinois.
His work has also
appeared in two-person exhibitions at the Richmond Art Museum (RAM) and K12
Gallery & TEJAS in Dayton, Ohio, as well as in group and juried exhibitions
at the Harrison Center in Indianapolis; Artlink in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and the
Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, Indiana.
Swanson has
painted murals for public and private clients, including the Innovation Center,
Black Dog Printing, and Glen Miller Skate Park in Richmond. He has also created
artwork for live audiences during arts events and fundraisers such as CityLife
Richmond, Taste of Wayne County, and the Union City Arts Festival.
He previously
served as an associate faculty member at the Herron School of Art and Design,
teaching foundations, drawing, and painting.
Swanson is the
Assistant Curator at RAM and previously served as a member of its Board of
Trustees.
His recent
creative explorations include elevating Blackbook Graffiti Sketchbook drawings
as fine art, using found objects in his paintings, portraying narratives of
local history in his work, and experimenting with plein air and
representational oil painting.
The MacDowell
Gallery is located on the second floor of the Reid Health Outpatient Care
Center at 1100 Reid Parkway in Richmond. The gallery is named after Barry
MacDowell, who served as Reid President and CEO from 1988 to 2008. Visitors can
use the Grand Staircase or the outpatient elevators to reach the exhibit.