BOISE, Idaho — If you’ve visited some of your favorite local businesses this holiday season take a closer look at the windows outside, you might see some creative window art and winter scenes created by one local woman.
MaLynda Poulsen is helping get the Treasure Valley into the holiday spirit one window at a time.
“I taught college art for almost 10 years and then the pandemic hit and so I came back home and wasn’t sure what I was going to do. So, my friends were like, ‘why don’t you just do what you do,’” she said. “They were like, ‘you should do murals’ and I had been away from Boise for a little bit and I was like, do people like murals? And they were like ‘duh, yes.’”
So she started up her business, M Poulsen Murals which she’s been doing for the last three years. One of her clients, Asiagos, in downtown asked her about also doing windows, which is something she had never done before until this year.
“From there people started seeing them and really liking them,” she said.
So she started doing more local businesses and even people’s homes.
“It's been really fun. I did a really cute special one for a woman for her little boy for Christmas so when he came home, Santa was looking at him and waving at him through the window,” she said. “The local businesses have been really good to me like here at Luciano's and they’re locally owned. I love it. They are supporting local artists and I love it.”
She does a range of window displays, from reindeer to Santa and the classic winter scene, but her favorite part of it all is seeing people’s reactions.
“It makes me so happy when they are just like, I love it or there are a few times where they’ll start crying, and it's just really special,” she said.
“It is the season, it's wintry out and this feels like a winter wonderland. Its been really nice to do something pretty and nice and happy for people," she siad. "It’s the season for giving and loving right?”
Christmas is less than three weeks away and businesses hope you keep your holiday shopping local.
When you are out putting the finishing touches on the Christmas gifts slow down and check out the front windows and business displays where you can Poulsen’s work and other creative artists’ displays.
