Diana de Avila
Neuroaesthetic Digital Artist · Autodidact Polymath
Diana de Avila is a digital fine artist whose practice emerged from unexpected neurological transformation. Rather than imitating styles, she navigates color, form, and pattern through direct perception — an embodied visual language that later developed into a dedicated neuroaesthetic practice designed to support calm, resilience, and sensory restoration.
A former U.S. Army Military Police officer, de Avila experienced a sudden neurological shift following traumatic brain injury and optic neuritis and vertigo from multiple sclerosis. The event triggered acquired savant syndrome, revealing a spontaneous artistic intelligence independent of traditional training. Patterns, color, and structure began to self-organize intuitively—leading to the development of a mathematically rooted visual language.
Her work has since evolved into neuroaesthetic architecture: immersive compositions that create spaces for grounding, identity reconstruction, and internal calm. Airports, healthcare environments, and contemplative public institutions have become natural homes for her practice, where art serves as a site for breath and restoration.
Permanent installations include Washington Reagan National Airport (Birds-Eye Series with AR), the Virginia War Memorial, and the Treffert Library—alongside numerous corporate placements through ArtLifting including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Vanguard, Signature Aviation, and Tampa International Airport.
De Avila’s work and journey have been featured in Science Times, Psychology Today, and the short documentary "The Color of Genius," and she is represented by ArtLifting.
"Diana de Avila is one of the most interesting cases of this disease; following a string of medical occurrences, including a serious accident and multiple sclerosis, she noticed a marked change in her cognitive functioning. De Avila experienced a sudden and intense drive to paint after experiencing brilliant colors and shapes while recuperating from an attack of ocular neuritis in 2017. Despite having no official art instruction, she quickly gained the capacity to create intricate works of art, a significant change from her previous existence."
- Science Times - June, 2024
Archipelago – The Treffert Center’s Savant Gathering, July 2025
I’m honored to be one of the featured participants in Archipelago, a global gathering of individuals with savant abilities, hosted by the Treffert Center in July 2025. This extraordinary event celebrates unique talents that emerge through developmental differences or brain injury. My inclusion alongside international creatives in the fields of art, music, and science reflects the growing recognition of acquired savant syndrome and the power of neurodivergent creativity.
Learn more: https://amazingsavants.com
Featured Next Chapter
In late 2025, Diana’s work will be featured in a year-long national wine-label collaboration with City Winery and the USO (United Service Organizations). Her artwork was selected from nearly 2,000 submissions for Bourbon Barrel Red, with production expected at 50,000–52,000 bottles monthly across 46 U.S. states—structured under a royalty-based licensing model that aligns commercial impact with philanthropic mission.
GALLERY REPRESENTATION & COMMERCIAL SALES
• ArtLifting, Boston, MA (June 2024 - present)
SOME CORPORATE CLIENT PLACEMENTS THROUGH ARTLIFTING
• Bank of America
• Signature Aviation
• Boston Scientific
• Blue Rock Rehabilitation
• Rapid 7
• Stoneleigh Companies
• Hillsborough County Aviation Authority | Tampa International Airport
• Pfizer
• Goldman Sachs
• Vanguard
• Mohawk Carpet
• Hyatt Regency
• Coca Cola
• T-Mobile
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
• Reagan National Airport (DCA) - Birds-Eye Series with Augmented Reality, Washington, D.C. (2024 - Permanent)
• Virginia War Memorial, Richmond, VA
• The Treffert Library, Fon du Lac, WI
INSTALLATIONS
• Washington Dulles International Airport (Uniting US), Chantilly, VA (May 2024 - May 2025)
• 14 Bank of America Locations - Large Murals (210 square ft. and 137 square ft.)
• Vanguard
• Blind Service Chicago
• Rapid 7
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
With Her Blood: The Unseen Battles of Women Warriors & Sundered Self: A Journey Through Fracture to Reclamation
A dual-concept solo exhibition exploring themes of sacrifice, identity, trauma, and resilience. With Her Blood honors the often-unseen struggles and contributions of women warriors, while Sundered Self delves into the fragmentation and reclamation of self after trauma. Through a fusion of digital and conceptual works, this evolving collection navigates the intersections of memory, service, and personal transformation.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 - SArtQ - Art Center Sarasota - "Puttering Through the Abbott Effect" Sarasota, FL.
2025 - Journey's Onward Veteran Exhibition, The Salmagundi Club, NY, NY.
2024 - SArtQ - Art Ovation Hotel - "No Worse for the Wear" & "Thingamajigger" Sarasota, FL.
2023 - NAWA FL - Art Ovation Hotel - "After Humpty's Fall" Sarasota, FL
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
• “Fractured Reflections”, Embracing Our Differences, (Billboard exhibition) Sarasota, FL (January - April 2026)
• MoCA Lights, Patchogue Arts Center, Long Island, NY - Featuring “Toys in the Attic” and “Psychedelic Rorschach” (2024)
• “LOST”, Embracing Our Differences, (Billboard exhibition) Sarasota, FL (January - April 2025)
2025
• “Winter's Messenger,” 2025 Making Our Marks - ISEA (International Society of Experimental Artists (February 2025) - Second Place.
2024
• “Quantum Landscape”, Trompe L'oeil, Art Center Sarasota, FL (November - December 2024)
• “Metropolis Mosiac”, Utterly Profound, ISEA, Online (November - December 2024)
• "Dopamine High - Euphoria in Bloom”, Euphoria, Art Center Sarasota, FL (October 2024)
• “After Humpty’s Fall”, Art for Hope, Florida Cancer Specialists, Lakewood Ranch, FL (November 2023 - February 2024)
• “Twilight Paddle”, ArtAbility Exhibition, Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital (November 2024 - January 2024)
• “Stingray Serenade”, Flora and Fauna, Art Center Sarasota, FL (August - September 2024)
• “Summer Dreaming”, Winter Small Works, NAWA, New York, NY (January - February 2024)
• “Transitions”, Telling Our Stories, Pixmuseum.org, 2nd Place (October 2024)
Select Previous Exhibitions
• ArtHouse NYC, Big Screen Plaza, NYC - Featuring “Carnival in the City” (motion art, 2024)
• Light and Dark, Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota, FL (2024)
• Shifting Perceptions, SPAACES, Sarasota, FL (2021)
• The National 2023, Cape Cod Art Center, MA (2023)
• Techspressionism: Digital and Beyond, Southampton Arts Center, NY (2022)
• Onward and Upward, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL (2020)
• The Spirit of Resilience, Manhattan Arts International, New York, NY (2020)
• Celebration of the Arts: Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation, Amelie Arena (2019)
AWARDS & HONORS
• 2nd Place - “Winter's Messenger,” 2025 Making Our Marks - ISEA (International Society of Experimental Artists (February 2025)
• 2nd Place - “With Her Blood,” 2024 Veterans National Creative Arts Festival (December 2024)
• 2nd Place - “Transitions,” Telling Our Stories, Pixmuseum.org (October 2024)
• Merit - “Summer Dreaming,” NAWA (February 2024)
• Third Place / Merit - “Uranium Tower,” NAWA (January 2024)
• Honorable Mention - “Summer Dreaming,” Cape Cod Art Center (2023)
• Merit Award - “The Engineered Lady,” Venice Art Center (2022)
• Award of Excellence - “Journey with Morpheus,” Manhattan Arts International (2020)
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS
• Southern Arts Relief & Recovery Fund, Atlanta, GA. (2025)
• Halo Arts Fellowship, Sarasota, FL. (2022)
COMMERCIAL WORK
• LeGaleriste: Creating art-inspired clothing (2020)
• Sedition Art: Motion art (2020)
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
• ArtLifting Artist (May 2024 - present)
• Uniting US, Mentor Artist (May 2024 - present) - Transitions Project
• SArtQ, Sarasota, FL (2023 - present)
• National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) (2021 - present)
• International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA)
• National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW)
• Veteran Art Institute (2025)
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
• Science Times - Featured in “Acquired Savant Syndrome: Unleashing New Cognitive Abilities and Strength After a Traumatic Brain Injury” (June 2024)
• Psychology Today - Featured in “The Mystery of Sudden Genius” (April 2024)
• “Super Cat! Splat! Splat!” - Illustrator, Wilma Davidson (Author), 2024
• “Super Cat Chit-Chat” - Illustrator, Wilma Davidson (Author), 2024 (second in series)
• “Soldier, Sister, Savant” - Co-author, 2021
• “The Color of Genius”- 2021
JURY & CURATORIAL ROLES
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Peer-Juror, “Volume & Voice,” Sculpture Online Exhibit with National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) (2025)
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Juror, “Wild Crazy and Absurd 2024,” Cape Cod Art Center (November 2024)
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Peer-Juror, “Life’s Journey,” Flushing Bank Exhibit with National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) (2024)
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Online Exhibit Curator, Art Center Sarasota (2021)
EDUCATION
• Ongoing self-directed studies in digital art, fractal art, generative art, and augmented reality techniques.