M. C. Poulsen: Yellowstone Waterfalls
The Booth Museum & Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Spring 2022
There is a sacredness when one experiences a waterfall for the first time. Roaring and powerful, yet serene and calming, waterfalls are one of nature’s most magical creations. Their beauty often takes your breath away, creating a feeling of pure awe.
"Feeling the energy of falling water is a unique experience. To capture that feeling in a painting is impossible... but the energy coming from viewing the painting is the next best thing." - M. C. Poulsen
M.C. POULSEN, Trident Falls, 2021, oil on canvas, 60h x 36w in. (152.40h x 91.44w cm); Framed size: 68h x 44 1/4w x 4d in. (172.72h x 112.39w x 10.16d cm) - MCP006
"Trident Falls is in thorofare country. The falls are located on to two miles above the mouth of Cliff Creek. There are multiple drops that sit deep within on of the two notches of 'The Trident,' a nearly 11,000 foot, three-pronged mountain of the Absaroka Range that encompasses a large percentage of the Park's southeast corner." - M. C. Poulsen
Part of a vast ecosystem of infinite poetic beauty, mostly hidden from the public, the waterfalls of Yellowstone National Park have captured for decades the imagination of artists and visitors alike.
M.C. POULSEN, Lost Falls, 2017, Oil on gessoed board, Framed size: 59.5 x 32 in (151.13 x 81.28 cm).; Canvas size: 50 x 22 in. (127 x 55.88 cm) - MCP007
Re-known Award Winning Western Artist M.C. Poulsen was introduced in 2012 to “The Guide to Yellowstone Waterfalls and their Discovery”. Until then, most of the waterfalls in Yellowstone remained hidden and undiscovered. Yellowstone’s waterfalls had been painted in the late 1800s, most notably by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, who first captured the magnificence of a few falls creating the mystique that draws the public today to Yellowstone but, no one had painted the major falls nor the undiscovered ones!
Poulsen was mesmerized: he wanted to be the first one to capture on oil and canvas the major and undiscovered falls. So he embarked on a ten year journey, hiking and horse riding deep into the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park.
M.C. POULSEN, Enchantress Falls, 2017, Oil on canvas, 50h x 28w in. (127h x 71.12w cm), Framed size: 60h x 36w x 3d in. (152.40h x 91.44w x 7.62d cm) - MCP004
"Rough terrain, strewn with house-size boulders, trees, and bushes turns into a tangled, webbed wall. Downed trees slow down any attempt to navigate to a slow crawl. progress is well earned when you get to the prize! This fall is one of my favorites." - M. C. Poulsen
By painting the most spectacular Waterfalls of Yellowstone, Poulsen’s hope was to capture and reveal the insights of these cosmic beauties and share with his fellow humans the emotions he experienced. His paintings depict not only the beauty of the falls but incorporate Native American history and spiritual themes including wildlife and the settlement history of the area.
"Nothing in Nature stays the same. It is ever changing and ever evolving, simply capturing a moment in time." - Mike Poulsen
M.C. POULSEN, Swans at Fairy Falls I, 2021, oil on canvas, 60h x 50w in. (152.40h x 127w cm) MCP005 Framed size: 72.50h x 52.50w in. (184.15h x 133.35w cm)
"Swans at Fairy Falls" was painted at one of my most favorite waterfalls. This area is often home to swans. I wanted to capture their whiteness, elegant movements and serene energy against the richness of the deep cobalt blue and veridian colors. " - M. C. Poulsen
M. C. Poulsen, Yellowstone Lake, 2016, Oil on canvas, 59.50h x 39.25w in. (151.13h x 99.69w cm) Framed size: 70.75h x 50w in. (179.71h x 127w cm)
Poulsen’s paintings are a revelation, windows into a untouched, yet mysterious vanishing world, magnificently rendered by his artistic talent and touch …
“I wanted to tell the Yellowstone story in my own way” says Poulsen in his interview with Carrie Scozzaro, The Joy of Discovery, Big Sky Journal 2020.
M.C. POULSEN (b. 1952, Akron, Ohio)
Poulsen was born in Akron, Ohio in 1952. He moved to Cody, Wyoming at age thirteen with his parents to work the 15,000-acre cattle ranch purchased by his father. After serving in the Marine Corps, he studied art at Arizona State University in Tempe, then dropped out to study with his neighbor and artist James Bama, who featured Western landscapes and scenes.
Early in his painting career, Poulsen did landscapes, still lifes, and figurative scenes, but then became so enthralled by Western paintings he saw by Charles Russell that from then on he focused on Western works. Poulsen exhibited a one-man show at the Capitol Rotunda in July of 1992 in Washington, D.C. and was the first Western artist to exhibit in Russia as a cultural exchange.
Poulsen also has done commissions for private, state and federal organizations, including the Pentagon and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He participates annually in shows and exhibitions across the country, including those held by the Autry National Center in Los Angeles; the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana; the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis.
His work is featured in galleries in New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, California and Arizona. He and his wife live in Cody on property next to his then family dude ranch he worked as a teenager.
“It brings me great joy to create something that might touch the soul of another.” - M.C. Poulsen
M. C. "Mike" Poulsen in his studio in Cody Wyoming
M. C. POULSEN installation view from The Booth Museum Exhibition, October 21, 2021 - February 27, 2022
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Trident Falls, 2021
oil on canvas
60h x 36w in
152.40h x 91.44w cm
Framed: 68h x 44.25w x 4d in
172.72h x 112.40w x 10.16d cm
MCP006
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Swans at Fairy Falls I, 2021
oil on canvas
60h x 50w in
152.40h x 127w cm
Framed: 72.50h x 52.50w in
184.15h x 133.35w cm
MCP005
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Enchantress Falls, 2017
Oil on canvas
50h x 28w in
127h x 71.12w cm
Framed: 60h x 36w x 3d in
152.40h x 91.44w x 7.62d cm
MCP004
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Yellowstone Lake, 2016
Oil on canvas
Framed size: 70.75 x 50 in. (179.71 x 127 cm); Canvas size: 59.5 x 39.25 in. (151.13 x 99.69 cm)
MCP001
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Along the Border Trail (number out of 500)
“Along The Border Trail” , Limited Edition of 500, signed and numbered Leather bound with case, includes an original oil painting by M. C. Poulsen
MCP010
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Along the Border Trail (number out of 500)
“Along The Border Trail” , Limited Edition of 500, signed and numbered Leather bound with case, includes an original oil painting by M. C. Poulsen
MCP009
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Trident Falls, 2021
oil on canvas
60h x 36w in
152.40h x 91.44w cm
Framed: 68h x 44.25w x 4d in
172.72h x 112.40w x 10.16d cm
MCP006
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Swans at Fairy Falls I, 2021
oil on canvas
60h x 50w in
152.40h x 127w cm
Framed: 72.50h x 52.50w in
184.15h x 133.35w cm
MCP005
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Enchantress Falls, 2017
Oil on canvas
50h x 28w in
127h x 71.12w cm
Framed: 60h x 36w x 3d in
152.40h x 91.44w x 7.62d cm
MCP004
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Yellowstone Lake, 2016
Oil on canvas
Framed: Framed size: 70.75 x 50 in. (179.71 x 127 cm); Canvas size: 59.5 x 39.25 in. (151.13 x 99.69 cm)
MCP001
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Along the Border Trail (number out of 500)
“Along The Border Trail” , Limited Edition of 500, signed and numbered Leather bound with case, includes an original oil painting by M. C. Poulsen
MCP009
M.C. POULSEN (1953)
Along the Border Trail (number out of 500)
“Along The Border Trail” , Limited Edition of 500, signed and numbered Leather bound with case, includes an original oil painting by M. C. Poulsen
MCP010
