May 2015

New Sunflower and Lavender Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

May 29, 2015

30″ x 48″ textured oil painting

Sunny Life is inspired from one of the amazing locations we take our students to on our Provence Art Trek. We actually set up our easels in this gorgeous lavender and sunflower field, where the flowers seem to stretch forever. The color and aroma explosion were out of this world – a painter’s and photographer’s dream come true. Words can’t even describe how special that moment was to paint there surrounded by all that beauty!

Taking my plein air sketch that I painted on location above, I set to capture that joyous feeling back in my studio. Pulling in closer to the sunflowers so you could see their beaming faces and get a sense of their scale, I added a few more color surprises to add to the happy mood (and I didn’t have to worry about getting too close in fear of bee stings in the studio!) I hope you, too, experience the beauty and contentment of being in Provence through my painting.

If you’d like more information or a brochure on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops listed below, please let me know. We are taking reservations for this years trip to Tuscany, Italy, so please let us know if you would like to join us. For more details, e-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

Please visit NikiGulley.com (www.NikiGulley.com) to see more of my impressionistic plein air oil paintings.

New Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

May 27, 2015

“Intertwining Beauty” ©2015 Niki Gulley
36″ x 60″ textured oil on canvas

Intertwining Beauty was inspired by a recent trip to the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The aspen forest was so dense and beautiful. I loved the pops of vibrant fall colors peeking through the tall, tangled, web of white knobby trunks. Ruby reds grab your attention while staccato strokes of emerald, amethyst and topaz lead your eye around the canvas. I hope you can feel the energy found in nature and its power to invigorate your spirit.

I painted these aspen trees with extremely thick paint and palette knife. The resulting canvas is loaded with texture, color and energy! I’ve painted it on 1 and 1/2 inch deep stretcher bars, with the image continuing around the edges so that it can be hung as is frameless for a contemporary look.

If interested in more information, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

To see more of my textured aspen and birch paintings, please visit NikiGulley.com.

“Heightened Awareness” Palette Knife Aspen Treetop Painting by Niki Gulley

May 25, 2015

48” x 30” textured mixed media on canvas

In this painting I wanted you to feel that child-like wonder of staring up in into the treetops and the heavens above. Choosing vibrant, cheerful yellows contrasted against a vivid blue sky and arranging the aspens in a circular pattern heightened by thick, curving paint strokes, both add to that joyful, playful feeling of hope and discovery.

E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information about my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings.

NikiGulley.com

New “Golden Aura II” Palette Knife Birch Painting by Niki Gulley

May 22, 2015

36″ x 48″ textured oil painting on wrap around canvas

Painted with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives so that this canvas is loaded with texture and bursting with color, flickering autumn leaves seem to almost dance in a gentle breeze. I wanted this scene to be filled with movement and energy, so I incorporated a lot of diagonal and curving shapes in the design to suggest that feeling. While combining short staccato strokes along with long sweeping passes with my palette knives also increase that sense of motion. I hope you, too, can feel the excitement of walking through the woods on a beautiful fall day, letting your cares slip away and your spirit being invigorated.

Email me for more information on this birch painting.

Or, visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary oil paintings.

“Reaching for the Heavens” Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

May 20, 2015

48″ x 36” textured oil painting on wrap around canvas

In this painting, I wanted you to you to experience the amusement of looking up into the treetops – just like you did when you were a kid. Lying on the ground, not a care in the world, you gaze in wonderment as the clouds drift by. Choosing warm yellows and reds while utilizing thick chunky staccato strokes, add to that childlike whimsy and I hope you are transported back to a happy, carefree time and place.

For more information on my textured palette knife birch and aspen tree oil paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, visit NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

New Indian Paintbrush Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

May 18, 2015

24″ x 24″” textured oil painting on gallery wrap canvas

I wanted this Texas wildflower painting to be filled with color and joy! Using thick oil paint and palette knives, I arranged the bluebonnets and winecups diagnonally to create an energy and movement, keeping your eye traveling from blossom to blossom. Choosing a vivid gold background to add warmth and contrast to the scene, also illumintes the petals and grasses from behind causing them to glow. Hung alone or with Spring Forth II, these Texas wildflowers are sure to lift your spirits and brighten up your home.

“Spring Forth II” along with several of my new palette knife paintings are on exhibit at the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. If interested in more information on pricing or purchasing this palette knife bluebonnet painting, please contact goodartcompany.com/gac/.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my palette knife Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

New Texas Bluebonnet Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

May 15, 2015

24″ x 24″” textured oil painting on gallery wrap canvas

“Spring Forth” along with several of my new palette knife paintings are on exhibit at the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. If interested in more information on pricing or purchasing this palette knife bluebonnet painting, please contact goodartcompany.com/gac/.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my palette knife Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

New “Leading the Way,” Tuscany – Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

May 13, 2015

24″ x 12″” textured oil painting on gallery wrap canvas

Inspired by our travels to Italy, cypress trees rise out of the rolling landscape signaling that you have arrived in Tuscany. Arranging the trees in diagonal patterns, they beckon you to travel down the path they line while softly drifting clouds repeat the shape of the dirt road and create a harmony, leading you into the distance where something amazing may lie. You only need to venture forth to find out!

“Leading the Way” along with several of my new palette knife paintings are on exhibit at the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. If interested in more information on pricing or purchasing this palette knife poppy painting, please contact goodartcompany.com/gac/.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my palette knife Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

New “Texas Two Step” by Dallas Artist Niki Gulley

May 11, 2015

24″ x 12″” textured oil painting on gallery wrap canvas

In this painting, I wanted to capture the rhythm, color, and density of our vibrant Texas wildflowers flowing along the grassy rises and falls of the berms in the Hill Country. Making sure not to over blend my thick strokes so that you could see the marks and feel the energy found in nature, Texas Two Step is loaded with texture and color, and almost dances to life. Repeating patterns, shapes and hues unite foreground and background while two lone trees touch limbs and create a focal point in the distance.

“Texas Two Step” along with several of my new palette knife paintings are on exhibit at the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. If interested in more information on pricing or purchasing this palette knife Texas wildflower painting, please contact goodartcompany.com/gac/.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my palette knife Texas bluebonnet and wildflower paintings.

“Fire and Gold” – Textured Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

May 8, 2015

textured oil on canvas • 36″ x 48″

I love the first signs of fall – the crisp feel in the air, the crunching of leaves underfoot, the beautiful autumn colors, and being totally immersed in nature in the middle of a forest without a care in the world. In Fire and Gold I wanted to recreate that joyful feeling, choosing warm reds and yellows of autumn and using energetic strokes with my paint to heighten that mood. Building up first thin transparent layers and then thick textured layers of oil paint also add to a certain glow and magic in the final piece.

E-mail – Niki Gulley for more information.

Please visit NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.