“Rhapsody in Bloom” ©2010 Niki Gulley
Oil painting • 12” x 12”
These sunflowers were painted from a gorgeous bouquet in my studio with extremely thick oil paint and palette knife. I love the contrast in the colors and how the texture of the paint causes them to leap off the canvas and come to life.
E-mail me at [email protected] for more information.
After teaching our plein air painting / photography workshop in Venice, my husband and I ventured north into Austria and Bavaria, the land of castles and fairytale villages. We found this sleepy little town south of Salzburg and I fell in love with its beauty and charm, and I just had to paint it!
To see “Idyllic Village” and my other recent paintings stop by my studio in Dallas as part of the White Rock Lake Artists’ Studio Tour – Saturday and Sunday. For more information on the Studio Tour, see WhiteRockArtists.com.
After a delicious lunch of prosciutto and pecorinos on day three of our painting / photography workshop in Tuscany, we decided to venture into the countryside and paint this lone clump of cypress trees. With the simpler subject (and maybe a little Chianti at lunch!), everyone could relax and play, having fun pushing their colors and experimenting with their strokes. I liked how the late afternoon sun was casting such long dramatic shadows on the ground and I decide to accentuate the cool blues and violets I saw in the darks to contrast with the gold rolling hills.
If you’ve dreamt about painting in Tuscany, join us for our next Plein Air Painting Workshop in Sept. 2011. Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information or e-mail me at [email protected].
To see my paintings, my husband’s (Scott Williams’) photographs, and our students’ creations from this year’s Venice & Tuscany painting and photography classes, stop by our “From Pasta to Schnitzel” art party Friday night at our studio in Dallas or the check out the White Rock Lake Artists’ Studio Tour Saturday and Sunday. For more information on the Studio Tour, see WhiteRockArtists.com.
“Chasing the Light” ©2010 Niki Gulley
8” x 10” oil painting
We just got back from teaching our plein air painting / photography workshop in Tuscany, and everyone had a fabulous time! Of course it would be hard not to when immersed in such beautiful scenery – gorgeous rolling hills that stretch for miles and mysteriously change shapes from the Tuscan sun light. I painted this piece right outside the front door of our villa, which was surrounded by amazing 360 degree views of the valleys and distant hill towns. Truly beautiful! With the constantly moving clouds causing the light to change minute to minute, our challenge was to paint the scene quickly and yet capture the mood created by the soft dramatic morning light.
If you’d like to see my recent Italian inspired landscapes, along with my students’ work, stop by my studio as part of the White Rock Artists’ Studio Tour this weekend in Dallas. WhiteRockArtists.com
If you’d like more information on our next painting / photography workshop in Greece this May or Tuscany September 2011, visit my website at
nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information
or e-mail me at [email protected].
When we visited London, it rained pretty much all day every day but somehow that added to the experience and was actually quite beautiful at night when the city lights reflected off the wet cobbled streets. A few raindrops never slow the English down, so in “Moment of Reflection,” I wanted to capture that energy of the moving masses and I liked how that contrasted against the one non-mobile person on the corner. What are they waiting for or thinking about? I their contemplative state adds to the mystery and magic of the moment.
To see “Moment of Reflection” in person, stop by the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston this weekend. I’ll be displaying my latest paintings and night scenes at booth #480 – on Walker St. between Bagby & Smith Streets facing City Hall. See BayouCityArtFestival.com for more information.