ARTIST BIO

JAPoulsen

J A Poulsen is a contemporary award winning American artist known for his varied use of painting, photography, and multimedia, which examines the structures of perception. Poulsen who at the age of 9 was adopted and brought to Cody, Wyoming with his siblings where he grew up on the family cattle ranch.  This is where his fascination and love for the West and art blossomed. 

A Vincent van Gogh quote reflects the way Poulsen perceives his life and art.  “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together“. The perceived small things that we say and do are the very things that make us and our work meaningful adding color to life. Studying color theory in college he has been consumed by how conscious and unconscious visual perception works, and how it can be exploited in visual communication. How we process visual information is the underlying subject of Poulsen’s work.  Instead of blending color on a pallet or on a painting surface he has the viewer unconsciously mix colors and shapes with their eyes to “see” an image.  Therefore every brush stroke, color value, and hue plays a critical role in making a unified work.  

In July of 2019, Poulsen had an opportunity to travel with a group of Educators to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to teach English to adopted orphans. He wanted to see firsthand how he could help others. It is because of this life changing trip and the opportunities he received through his adoption he has chosen Elevate Orphan and Bring Love In to receive a portion of the sales of his art to support adoption.