expressionist art

Rhythmic Waters oil painting

August 25, 2010

12” x 12” oil on canvas

I created this ocean scene with palette knife and extremely thick oil paint to achieve texture and suggest the energy found in nature. I wanted to capture the movement and sounds of the ocean waves crashing against each other. The image is painted around the sides of the 1.5 inch deep gallery wrap canvas so that it looks three-dimensional and can be hung as is without a frame for a contemporary look. These chunky ocean paintings look great in pairs, threes and fours.

To see my “Rhythmic Waters” series in person, stop by my booth at the Art Street Green Bay art show this weekend in Green Bay, WI. For more information on the show, go to artseventsinc.com/artstreet.

If you’d like to learn how to create loose, vibrant paintings join us this fall in my Adult Art Classes in Dallas. Registration is open and classes fill up quickly, so visit my classes and workshops page,

Or, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

Art Street Green Bay this weekend

August 23, 2010

40” x 30” oil on canvas

Growing up in Chicago, I loved the first snowfall of the year when everything would get a beautiful dusting of pristine white powder, including even the tiniest of branches in the treetops above. If you caught that moment early enough in the morning before anything had disturbed the intricate frosted web, it was just magical. Then the sun would start rising and peeking through the limbs, and everything would sparkle like diamonds. In Climbing Trees, I wanted to capture that brief beautiful moment when the sunlight dances through the icing on the treetops and you can feel yourself looking up in wonderment just like you did when you were a kid.

To see “Climbing Trees” in person, stop by my booth at the Art Street Green Bay art show this weekend in Green Bay, WI. For more information on the show, go to artseventsinc.com/artstreet.

Transitional Tones IV

June 28, 2010

12” x 12” oil painting

I created these aspen trees with palette knife and extremely thick oil paint to achieve texture and dimension. I love how the bright colors pop and brighten up any room, and how the strokes contain so much movement and energy. The image is painted around the sides of the 1.5 inch deep gallery wrap canvas so that it looks three-dimensional and can be hung as is without a frame for a contemporary look. These chunky aspen paintings look great in pairs or threes.

See NikiGulley.com/?page_id=229 for companion paintings.

Fountain Square Art Festival – Evanston, IL – this weekend

June 21, 2010

12” x 12” oil painting

I created these birch trees with palette knife and extremely thick oil paint to achieve texture and suggest the energy found in nature. The image is painted around the sides of the 1.5 inch deep gallery wrap canvas so that it looks three-dimensional and can be hung as is without a frame for a contemporary look. These chunky birch paintings look great in pairs and threes.

See NikiGulley.com/?page_id=229 for companion paintings or visit my art booth at the Fountain Square Art Festival this weekend in Evanston, IL to see more of my textured palette knife paintings in person. For details on the show, go to chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=123.

Or, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com with any questions or comments.

Transitional Tones at Stone Arch Art Festival, MN

June 18, 2010

12” x 12” oil painting

See NikiGulley.com/?page_id=229 for companion paintings or visit my art booth at the Stone Arch Art Festival in Minneapolis this weekend to see more of my textured palette knife paintings in person. For details, go to StoneArchFestival.com.

Or, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com with any questions or comments.