contemporary landscape painting

Portland Head Lighthouse palette knife oil painting by Niki Gulley

March 7, 2016

SOLD • 9″ x 12″ textured oil painting

Just Sold! I painted this picturesque Maine lighthouse on location last October. The sun was starting to set and I wanted to capture the glow on the building and the sunset colors forming in the sky, so I had to work quickly before it was too late! Painted with palette knife and thick oil paint, the resulting image is full of color and texture.

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

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my palette knife paintings.

***

For more information on our Plein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek Workshops in Italy and the U.K., please visit www.ArtTreks.org or 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.

“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.

Just Sold – “Textures of Time” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Niki Gulley

December 7, 2015

SOLD • 18″ x 24” textured oil painting

In my next painting from this barn series, I wanted to show the personality and individuality of this red barn, since it was built by hand from nearby trees on the property by the owner’s family. I almost feel like it has a playful twinkle in its windows, inviting us to come closer and check out it’s hand-carved timbers and discover what stories it holds. Juxtaposed behind this sturdy oak, two enduring souls, are loaded with character, texture and rustic beauty, monuments to a simpler disappearing way of life.

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.

“Looking Up” New Red Barn oil painting by Niki Gulley

December 4, 2015

18″ x 24” textured oil painting

Full of fun and whimsy, I not only wanted to show the personality of this red barn but 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.

SOLD – “Long Shadows” Palette Knife oil painting by Niki Gulley

December 2, 2015

SOLD • 10″ x 20” textured oil painting

Nash Farm, Grapevine Painted on location in Grapevine, TX, I was drawn to this old barn still standing amidst all of the modern housing and commercial buildings encroaching upon it. Full of texture and character, I wanted to capture its essence on that beautiful spring day. While the air was still crisp, the sun was strong casting beautiful shadows from the oaks and welcoming in spring.

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.

Winter Aspen Tree Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

November 23, 2015

40” x 30” oil on canvas

Growing up in the midwest, 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 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 more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail – Niki Gulley

“Embrace” textured birch oil painting by Niki Gulley

November 20, 2015

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

I like to play with blurring the lines between realism and abstraction so that some things are left up to the viewer’s imagination. In the case of “Embrace,” I chose this unusual, asymmetrical heart-shaped composition and teased your eye with foreground and background emerging and disappearing to create a more abstract scene. Choosing fiery reds contrasted against turquoise blues cause the colors to dance and vibrate. While diagonal strokes and a circular composition combined with the vibrant hues, create a sense of energy, movement and harmony. Using all of these elements, I wanted to create an uplifting, whimsical, passionate painting filled with youthful hope and discovery.

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.

“Aqua Dreams” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

November 13, 2015

36” x 60” textured oil on canvas

When we arrived at this tranquil spot, the early morning light was very cool in color, but as the sun began to rise from the horizon, it shone this beautiful warm light that shimmered on the water’s surface and cast its hope of what was to come from the brand new day. I remember the peacefulness I felt in that moment, and a sense that anything was possible. In Aqua Dreams, by showing the contrast in the cool aqua/blues in the foreground waters against the warm golden glow on the distant pond’s edge, I wanted to share that feeling of hope and promise communicated by nature.

To see more of my aspen and birch tree paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail – Niki Gulley

New “Harmonic Hues” – Aspen Tree oil painting by Texas Artist Niki Gulley

October 26, 2015

I love painting aspen trees and I usually work with a more primary color palette, but in this painting, I wanted to convey a quieter, more peaceful mood. Opting for calming grey greens, soft golds and reds with hints of teal, Harmonic Hues reminds me of the serenity I feel while walking through the forest on a cool autumn day, being totally immersed in nature, not a care in the world. I hope you are transported, too!

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my birch and aspen tree oil paintings.

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