08/13/2026
Yellowstone-Island of Refuge by Monte Dolack 2026
Read the artist's essay below:
Yellowstone-Island of Refuge is an original 48 × 36 inch acrylic painting that I created in 2026 by portraying a Yellowstone wolf standing with two young pups against the dramatic geothermal landscape of Yellowstone National Park.
The adult wolf dominates the foreground, its weathered coat illuminated by warm golden light. Behind it, the pups remain close to their mother, creating an immediate sense of family and vulnerability.
Beyond them stretches Yellowstone in an explosion of color—steaming thermal features, distant mountains, forests, winding waterways, and glowing earth beneath a dramatic evening sky. The saturated oranges and golds of the landscape are contrasted with deep blues, violets, and brilliant turquoise.
But the wilderness is not entirely untouched. Along the distant edges, subtle traces of roads and human development remind us that this magnificent landscape is also an island.
The wolf stands within an oasis—but an oasis surrounded by a world that is becoming increasingly difficult for wildlife to inhabit.
The painting is therefore intended to work on two levels. At first glance, it is a celebration of the beauty of Yellowstone and the resilience of its wolves. At a deeper level, it is a meditation on habitat fragmentation, boundaries, and the increasingly narrow space we leave for wild animals.
Like the polar bear standing on its diminishing piece of ice, the Yellowstone wolf becomes a symbol of a larger question:
What happens when the refuge we give wildlife is no longer large enough to let them truly be wild?
Monte Dolack August 2026
*Please note that this painting was commissioned by a private collector and belongs to a private collection
Yellowstone National Park
