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Dennis Ziemienski: 100 Years of Route 66

Dennis Ziemienski

Dennis Ziemienski at the start of Route 66 in downtown Chicago, Illinois

DENNIS ZIEMIENSKI

100 Years of Route 66

In 2026, Americans across the country look forward to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Route 66, an iconic byway that once stretched across eight states and covered 2448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Assigned in 1926, it opened the way West at a time when the automobile provided a new sense of freedom and adventure. The additional exposure to a new generation as a result of this anniversary meant that even more Americans might develop a connection to the country’s favorite road trip. California artist Dennis Ziemienski has depicted some of the finest moments in that journey, evoking past memories and renewed excitement.

Ziemienski’s colorful, narrative paintings tell stories about our collective past. In the artist’s own words, “I show a story and let the viewer tell the rest.” Either way, his finely executed canvases

Beyond the man-made relics that line the road, nature reigns supreme rising cliffs under billowing clouds pull the viewer into an endless dome above the plain.

On the Cover Gas, Food, Lodging Oil on canvas 36" h x 36" w

in oil, a vivid legacy to the era of great American illustrators, capture both time and place in ways that resonate deep within the viewer. It’s not just that many of the images have become milestones in America’s visual history, but his vintage automobiles, trains, roadside signs and attractions, neon lights and more, are full of nostalgia. As an imagist, his fresh handling of these subjects resonates with all who revere these treasured places and remnants of another time.

Formerly a professional illustrator, Ziemienski’s long career served significant clients in sports, travel, entertainment and recreation. Yet all the while, the artist painted what he loved including the great Southwest. When he changed direction to become a fine artist and find gallery representation, he didn’t have to rely on selling a message any longer. The medium was the message.

Exemplary of the works in this history-making show, “Gas, Food and Lodging” is a snapshot of scenes along the Route, depicted in that same kind of blur one experiences at 60 miles an hour. The cover painting says it all: beyond the man-made relics that line the road, nature reigns supreme rising cliffs under billowing clouds pull the viewer into an endless dome above the plain a flawless composition in which the eye never rests, but travels up and out into the brightening and distant sky. Let Dennis Ziemienski show you the West and Route 66 for the first time.