Splashing across the gallery walls are the colorful works of two Lehigh-Valley artists, Pam Dent and Rosemary Geseck, in “DecaDent Color,“ an exhibition of vibrant pop-art pieces celebrating summer with sunny seasonal scenes of summertime food and activities, through Sept. 7, Arthaus, Allentown.

An artist talk was given 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sept. 4.

“When planning the exhibition and talking with Pam Dent and Rosemary Geseck, we wanted to bring the sensory indulgence of summer, filled with enjoyment,” says curator Deborah Rabinsky.

“Bringing Pam’s pop art style together with Rosemary’s surrealism was the way to give everyone a place to be playful and carry the memories of summers past and future,” Rabinsky says.

“This is my largest solo show to date with my guest artist Ro,” says Dent, who insisted that the works of her mentor, Geseck, be included when she was invited to be featured at Arthaus.

Dent relates that when approached by Rabinsky for the exhibition, “She wanted a summer show full of vibrant, decadent color and summer fun.”

When Dent enrolled at the Baum School of Art around 15 years ago, Geseck became her long-time instructor and shaped her appreciation and use of color.

Dent says courses she has taken with Ronald K. De Long and Dana Van Horn brought her artwork “to the next level.” Dent credits De Long with inspiring her to experiment with incorporating collage.

According to Dent, her “Happy Camper” (circa 2020; acrylic on canvas, 24 in. x 30 in.) is a reflection of “all my happy memories as a child camping in the summer and sitting around the campfire, sharing our stories around the campfire and roasting marshmallows.” The hand-painted blue frame accentuates the orange campfire and the glowing and melting pink marshmallows. Most of Dent’s works dripping with vibrancy are food-centric.

“I call them ‘pool party pieces,’ although they are just the beginning of a pool party,” says Geseck about her separate, but related pieces in the exhibit. She painted some of them in a three-week “painting frenzy.”

Geseck’s “Mermaid Pool Party” (2025; acrylic on canvas with glitter, 48 in. x 36 in.) leads with a mermaid character sitting on a pink diving board. Next is “The Creature from the Blue Lagoon Swim Party” of the same size and medium featuring the classic monster getting wet and playing with a beach ball. Another, smaller, pool-themed acrylic, “Retro Swim Cap,” depicts a mermaid wearing a flowered bathing cap.

“I love the abstract quality of the water, the movement, the flow, the glistening ” says Geseck. “I play with different under-painting and glitter.” The Bethlehem-based painter is a Moravian University graduate and studied for a masters at the University of Arizona.

At the Aug. 6 reception at Arthaus, Geseck wore attire that specifically matched the blue water and flowered cap of “Retro Swim Cap,” and Dent’s fashion statement highlighted the fun and brightness of her works.

Dent’s husband Charlie, a political commentator on television talk shows, is a former United States congressman who represented the Lehigh Valley region. Pam works out of her Allentown studio and her studio in a New Jersey beach house they own. “That gives me beach inspiration,” she says.

“You will see my pop art pop up on CNN, MSNBC and NewsNation as I have them strategically placed behind my husband in his news segments,” says Dent.

While the artwork at Arthaus was deliciously-presented, cookies with edible prints of a Dent painting were provided by Kyms Creations Bakery.

Besides being close friends, Dent and Geseck share studio space with two other artists at JuxtaHub, Emmaus.

“DecaDent Color,” through Sept. 7, Arthaus, 645 W. Hamilton St., Allentown. Gallery hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday. Closed Sunday, Monday. 610-841-4866; refindallentown@gmail.com

“Gallery View” is a column about artists, exhibitions and galleries. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com