The One and Only Zak Pullen
Creativity shows up in unexpected places across Casper, and artist Zak Pullen has spent decades helping shape the places, experiences, and stories that make our community unique.
Discover how artist Zak Pullen's work, and Casper's thriving creative community, help shape the experiences that make Natrona County unique.
When many people think about art, they picture a gallery wall or a museum exhibit. Something framed. Something formal. Something separate from daily life.
But spend enough time in Casper and you start realizing art shows up everywhere.
It’s in the mural somebody pauses to photograph downtown. It’s in the brewery that people linger in longer than they planned to. It’s in the design of a concert poster, the feel of a coffee shop, the way an event space comes alive when it’s done well. Even the places visitors remember most often have an artist somewhere behind them.
For Casper artist Zak Pullen, that connection between creativity and community is impossible to separate.
Pullen grew up in Casper before studying illustration at Casper College and later earning a scholarship to the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio. After spending time in New York building his career, he eventually made his way back home to Wyoming.
While Pullen’s career has taken his work far beyond Natrona County, many locals have likely encountered his art without even realizing it. From public murals to local businesses and community spaces, many people have likely encountered Pullen’s work before ever learning his name.
A Community That Creates
Casper’s arts scene has changed dramatically over the years. What once felt smaller and more underground has grown into a community where there is almost always something happening somewhere in town. An art opening on a Friday night, a concert downtown, a comedy show, a new mural or even the lovely window paintings that brightened downtown this spring. For artists who move here from larger cities, that energy can be surprising!
Pullen says one of Casper’s most unique features is its accessibility. For artists coming into Casper from larger cities, that sense of accessibility stands out immediately. Pullen described how difficult it can be for artists to get a meeting in bigger metropolitan areas. Here, you run into fellow artists and patrons at local events or even at the grocery store. Where art can sometimes feel exclusive, the community here works hard to make it approachable for everyone. Visitors can walk through galleries, grab craft beer at a local brewery, hear live music downtown, and end up in a conversation with the very people creating the work they’re enjoying.
The Work Behind the Work
At first glance, Late Nights and Long Summers feels like a retrospective of finished work. Large paintings line the walls, bold compositions pull visitors across the room, and familiar pieces from around Casper are brought together in one space. But one of the most interesting parts of Pullen’s current exhibit, available at the Nicolaysen Art Museum until August 15, 2026, is the process work that he shows alongside these finished masterpieces. Early compositions and notes, some loose and unfinished while others look almost nothing like the final piece hanging nearby demonstrate this point. Together, they reveal just how much trial, revision, and problem-solving happens before the art makes it out of the studio for the world to enjoy.
“I want everybody to see the effort that goes into it,” Pullen said.
That sense of process becomes part of the exhibit itself. Visitors are not only seeing the final artwork. They’re seeing the layers underneath it. The hundreds of small decisions that eventually become something seamless enough that most people would never think twice about how much work it took to create.
Pullen pointed out that, “nearly everything people interact with every day was designed by someone.” Buildings, menus, signage, the wrapping on a locally canned craft beer, and even the feeling of whether a space feels welcoming or cold often comes back to creative decisions somebody made long before anyone walked through the door.
That’s part of what makes Casper’s creative scene so interesting right now. It’s not confined to one medium or one crowd. There are painters and illustrators like Pullen, but you’ll also find musicians building local followings, brewers experimenting with flavor profiles, filmmakers telling Wyoming stories, photographers showing the region through their own lens, and people intentionally shaping the visual identity of businesses all over town.
A lot of that creativity is tied deeply to the place we call home, the landscape, the weather, the history, and especially the people. Their unique balance between grit and experimentation gives this place a voice all its own.
Beyond the Art's Scene
Beyond just the accessibility of art and artists in Casper, Pullen also enjoys showing visiting friends all of the variety and adventure the community has to offer. Depending on the season you may find them browsing the museums, hiking the mountain, or out on Alcova soaking up the sunshine. Then back downtown for a concert at David Street Station or a cocktail at Backwards Distilling Company.
Another unique feature of Casper, Pullen points out, is the proximity of all of those experiences. In larger cities, an entire evening can disappear into traffic, reservations, and logistics. That proximity is an invitation to slow down a little and take fresh inspiration from all of the sights, sounds, textures, and adventures you’ll find here!
P.S. If you want to meet Zak Pullen and get a personal tour of his newest exhibit at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, drop by NIC Fest this June 4-7, 2026!
Plan Your Trip
Book Your Stay
