Fire and Gold oil painting

“Fire and Gold” ©2010 Niki Gulley
oil on canvas • 36″ x 48″

I used to love it as a kid when my parents would take me to the forest preserves near our home outside of Chicago. We would spend the whole day bike riding, picnicking and being immersed in nature and I relished this time with my family. In Fire and Gold I wanted to recreate those warm memories, choosing reds and yellows of autumn to heighten those happy feelings and using energetic strokes with my paint reminiscent of a carefree, simpler time.

Autumn Pulse oil painting

“Autumn’s Pulse” ©2010 Niki Gulley
11” x 14” oil on board

I created this autumn scene with palette knife and extremely thick oil paint to achieve texture and suggest the energy found in nature. Can you feel the breeze blowing through the leaves?

If you’d like to learn how to create loose, vibrant paintings join us this fall in my adult art classes in Dallas. I am beginning registration and classes fill up quickly, so visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 or e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.