You may not have known it, but you’ve seen the art of Denis Aumiller on display across the Lehigh Valley and beyond for decades as logos, billboards, ads, printed pieces and more for companies like C.F. Martin, Olympus Camera and many others.

Now after 20 years as a creative director at acclaimed agency Lehigh Mining (and 35+ years in the agency business), Aumiller is exploring his fine art roots with an exhibit of original works at ARTHAUS in downtown Allentown, September 7 – October 14, 2023

Aumiller has created a group of playful, surreal images he calls Somnia Terra, Latin for “Land of Dreams.” The 16 quirky, imaginative images evoke mystery that gets deeper the more one ponders them.

“Are you looking at the echo of a long ago past or a future still in the act of creation?” Aumiller said reflectively. “The creation of this work is a natural extension of the conceptual process I’ve used in the ad agency business. It’s about finding ideas and images that engage the imagination of the viewer. But with Somnia Terra I’ve been able to unleash my mind and create images that evoke a range of thought and emotion.”

Aumiller’s artistic influences include the dream-like, photomontages of Jerry Uelsmann and the surrealist paintings of René Magritte. The sublime sense of light and transcendence found in his work is inspired by the 19^th century painting style, American Luminism. In a true reflection of his duality in the art world, he holds a B.A. in Fine Art Photography from Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in Advertising Design from Syracuse University.

The public is invited to an Artist Reception on Thursday, September 21 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Description of the two images provided:
In “Merrily,” two men, oddly dressed in suits, row confidently into the unknown in a sea of clouds.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Michael Drabenstott (for GEDP)
Drabenstott Communications Group

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