January 2016

New “Tuscan Dreams” Palette Knife Poppy Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 29, 2016

24″ x 24″ textured oil painting on wrap around canvas

Inspired from a wonderful trip to Tuscany, I wanted this piece to be uplifting and full of joy and energy. Set beneath a colorful sky with a few clouds drifting by on a beautiful day in springtime, the poppies and wildflowers are in full bloom. Using broken impressionistic strokes in surprising hues, causes the landscape to dance and flow, and I hope all of your cares drift away while gazing into this cheerful scene.

You can paint and photograph these very views if you join us for our Tuscany Workshop in 2017. Don’t miss out on an amazing trip! Space is filling up quickly and there are a few spaces left so that you can experience Tuscany yourself. See nikigulley.com/artreks for details or e-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

For more information on Tuscan Dreams or more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at: nikigulley.com.

New “Sun Salutations” Sunflower Palette Knife Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 27, 2016

30″ x 48″ textured mixed media painting on wrap around canvas

Sun Salutations 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 and the color and aroma explosion are out of this world! Back in my studio, I worked from a combination of photos, on-site sketches and memories. Painting the sunflowers full-sized in the foreground helps to bring them to life and hopefully transport you to this beautiful location. Contrasting the complimentary colored lavender field in the distance draws your eye to the focal point, while repeating surprising pops of vivid color keeps your eye moving throughout the scene and adds to the joyful feeling.

If you’d like more information or a brochure on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops, please let me know. This year’s upcoming Art Trek to Spain is full, but we are taking reservations for the following year to Tuscany, England and Ireland.
For more details, e-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

For more information on my textured sunflower and poppy paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at: nikigulley.com.

New “Sunny Skies” Sunflower Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

January 25, 2016

30″ x 48″ textured mixed media painting on wrap around canvas

Festive, sun-filled blossoms dance in the gentle breeze, filling the field with sweet fragrance. This textured painting captures a carefree summer morning with sunflowers overflowing the foreground, filling up the field with joy under sunny skies as voluminous clouds drift by overhead.

For more information on textured sunflower and poppy paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at: nikigulley.com.

New “Paradise Found” Palette Knife Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 22, 2016

40″ x 30″” textured oil painting

Dreaming of sitting on the beach watching a beautiful sunset, relaxing under a cool ocean breeze and listening to the cathartic sound of the ocean lapping against the shore, I hope Paradise Found transports you to a carefree time and place.

For more information on my textured palette knife oil paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

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

“Journey in Time” Santa Fe Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

January 20, 2016

12″ x 24″ textured oil painting

On the final day of our Santa Fe Art Trek, we headed to this quiet dead end road to paint the church at Canyoncito. The only traffic we saw all morning was one car and 2 bicyclists, which allowed us to really concentrate on the scene. The church is so charming that I decided to paint it in the setting around it to add to that idyllic feel. I loved how the brilliant white of the stucco and the red roof made the church stand out against all of the greenery and blue sky. Choosing the panorama format helps to set the scene and adding long shadows from the left, leads your eye into the composition and to the focal point.

Painting at Canyoncito.

Visit nikigulley.com/artreks/ for upcoming Art Treks and Workshops.

For more information on Dallas art classes, see nikigulley.com/art-classes.E-mail Niki Gulley for more details about this New Mexico painting.

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NikiGulley.com

New Dallas Skyline Painting by Texas Artist Niki Gulley

January 19, 2016

Textured oil on canvas • 12″ x 24″

On a peaceful autumn day last fall, I went out with my camera to White Rock Lake and captured this beautiful sunset behind the Dallas skyline. I liked how the pampas grass and various plants in the foreground were back lit by the setting sun and how the water’s surface was shimmering from the low light, adding to a sense of mystery and tranquility in that golden moment.

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

E-mail – Niki Gulley

New “Looking Up” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 15, 2016

18″ x 24” textured oil painting

Full of fun and whimsy, I wanted to give this red barn personality and also make you feel like a kid again, climbing trees, swinging from their branches and returning to a simpler time in your childhood. Hinting that the barn has humanlike features, I feel like it, too, is inviting you to come play inside. Using vivid colors, distorted perspective and energetic thick oil paint strokes, I hope “Looking Up” brings joy to your home and reminds you of the simpler pleasures when you were a kid.

For more information on my textured palette knife oil paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

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

New “Sky High” Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 13, 2016

48″ x 24” textured oil painting on wrap around canvas

In this painting, I wanted you to you to experience the joy 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 overhead. To accentuate that feeling, I chose this tall vertical canvas, giving you a sense of scale and perspective. Working with warm yellows, reds and greens and utilizing thick chunky sweeping 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.

“Natural Textures” Abstracted Aspen Tree palette knife painting by Niki Gulley

January 11, 2016

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

In this painting I wanted the focus to be on texture. Usually I paint with a lot of color, but I opted to use a limited palette on this piece to really concentrate on the peeling bark of the aspen trees. Bordering on the edge of abstraction and the cusp of realism, Natural Textures is loaded with layers and layers of paint, built up with thin glazes and then palette knife to create extreme dimension. Choosing to come in extremely close on the subject, I played around with various strokes and paint thicknesses to add depth and energy. At the end, I had to throw in a few of my signature strokes of color – a splash of gold, some touches of lavender, and just a dab of fire-engine red for added excitement and unexpected color twists.

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

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

New “Party of One” Palette Knife Autumn Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

January 8, 2016

20” x 30” textured oil painting

This sturdy trunk and agile tree limbs reach to the heavens above and invite you to gaze in wonderment like a kid again at the kaleidoscope of fall spectrum above. Painted with palette knife and extremely thick oil paint, this painting is loaded with texture, color, energy and movement!

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her palette knife aspen tree and contemporary landscape paintings.

See NikiGulley.com