I paint a lot of bold fall foliage scenes from Colorado and farther north, but I wanted this aspen painting to have a more peaceful feel so I used much softer, more muted color palette to add to that mood.
I am absolutely crazy about aspen trees. I love their textured peeling bark, the sound of their tinkling leaves blowing in the breeze, the way the light illuminates their yellow leaves and makes them glow, and the repetition of the trunks packed so tightly together. The first time I saw them was on a trip with my family to Colorado and I fell in love with the beautiful scenery and peacefulness I found immersed in the forest and surrounded by mountains. I wanted to share my love of nature in “Deep in the Woods” so that you, too, could enjoy that calm and the beauty of the aspens.
Dallas Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley
Day 2 – Afternoon Location: Sunset Bay, White Rock Lake
Dallas Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley
Day 2 – Morning Location: White Rock Lake
My initial study for a 48″ x 90″ triptych, but I love how this small oil turned out, too! Inspired by Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, France, I wanted to paint a contemporary rendition of his lily pond, which would be flowing with color, light, warmth and energy.
Just Sold! Charging down its stone cut course, torrents of water rush through grey boulders past green and gold bracken. Headlong and unrestrained the waters crash downstream, while above they splash into the airy distance a glowing, hazy tiara of misty sunlight. Thick brushstrokes of radiant oils define the powerful landscape carrying your eye through a complex composition of dynamic diagonals cleaved with the vertical cascade, caressed with a delicate crossing of gold dusted branches. A painting of power and energy balanced by graceful strokes of beauty, I wanted “Rushing Desires” to be about texture, movement, mystery and the cathartic feeling in nature.
