Tag: Niki Gulley paintings

“Bon Appetito” Venice pastel by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

September 5, 2014
“Bon Appetito” ©2014 Niki Gulley
Pastel 24” x 36”

On my first trip to Europe, my husband wanted to take me to Venice since it was one of his favorite cities, and I fell in love with almost everything about it. The timeless quality created by living on canals free of cars, the history in the architecture and even the cobbled walkways, the beauty of the scenery and the magical quality created by the light to name just a few of my favorite things. I love how food and meals play such an important role in Italian culture – a time to slow down and enjoy friendships while savoring the locally grown cuisine and wines over the course of the evening. In this pastel I wanted to communicate all of those joyful feelings in addition to capturing the energy and romance of the city at night. Bon Appetito!

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If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our Plein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek to Venice during Carnivalé, Feb. 7-14, 2015. We’d love to have you join us! E-mail Niki Gulley for more information or go to nikigulley.com/artreks for more details on France, Greece, or our Italy Art Treks.

For more information on “Bon Appetito,” please e-mail Niki Gulley.

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

“Daybreak” pastel by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

September 3, 2014
“Daybreak” ©2014 Niki Gulley
pastel • 16″ x 40″
Whenever I can actually wake up by dawn, I am always inspired by the magical light that casts its glow across the horizon and am rewarded by the peacefulness before humanity starts stirring. In Daybreak, I wanted to capture that magical morning light and the quiet mysterious mood created from the sun’s rays peeking through the trees, casting their long dramatic shadows and softening the distant landscape.
For more information on “Daybreak,” please e-mail Niki Gulley.

“Golden Moment” pastel by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

September 1, 2014
“Golden Moment” ©2012 Niki Gulley
12″ x 24″ pastel
I painted this pastel at the Dallas Arboretum last fall to capture the gorgeous fall colors, and the mysterious long shadows cast by the sun as it was nearing sunset. I loved the vivid reds and oranges of the foliage, and the way the sun was causing those colors to glow along with the highlights on the path.
 
For more information on “Golden Moment,” please e-mail Niki Gulley.

“Cascading Rhythms” Palette knife oil painting by Niki Gulley

June 23, 2014

“Cascading Rhythms” ©2014 Niki Gulley
12” x 24” textured oil on canvas

Water pounds its way down the falls: cascading, rushing, charging into the riverbed — flowing over rocks, swiftly moving forward. Untamed, the surge finds its way over, under, around the boulder-strewn river. Tumbling waters drive up mists above the falls, the rhythmic sounds create a soothing harmony below. Autumn’s low light casts long lines through the Aspen trees and glowing verge.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary landscape paintings.

“Luminescent Radiance” textured oil painting of Monet’s Garden by Niki Gulley

June 18, 2014
“Luminescent Radiance” ©2014 Niki Gulley
Two 48″ x 18″ canvases with one 48″ x 30″ canvas in the middle to form a 48″ x 66″ triptych
Textured oil painting on wrap around canvas

I decided it would be a fun challenge to create an extremely large painting, and I wanted the final piece to be very uplifting, colorful and full of energy. Opting for warm colors and working with extremely thick paint and palette knives, I chose this lily pond reference from our visit to Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, France. The grounds were breathtaking and I could actually see his paintings come to life. I was drawn to the energetic flow and yet calming serenity in this view, and I positioned the water lilies and my paint strokes in a curving pattern to add to that mood. The morning light peeking through the distant foliage added to a sense of mystery and promise that I wanted to capture in paint, and share with you that feeling of hope.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.
Or, visit NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

New Textured Birch Painting by Niki Gulley

May 21, 2014
“Fire and Gold” ©2014 Niki Gulley
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.
Or, please visit NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

Day 4, Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

March 19, 2014
Venice Art Trek, Day 4, Doge’s Palace and Painting the back canals
12″ x 9″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley
On our fourth day of our Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop, we visited the Doge’s Palace, in all of its glory and were awed by its impressive art collection by Italian masters. Taking the “Secret Tour” we learned about parts of the Palace that you can’t normally see, including the prisons, the torture room and stories of Casanova.

That afternoon we chose another back canal to paint while the photographers covered off the beaten path parts of the island. I liked the way the sunlight reflected across the water’s surface, and I really wanted to capture a gondola in the distance, but since they move so quickly that was no easy task! Luckily there was a steady stream of gondolas passing by our location late in the day. I found myself painting as quickly as I could while one came into my composition, and if I didn’t capture it in time, fortunately another vessel would come into view shortly afterwards, and I was pleased with the results.

A delicious home-made Italian meal to end the day with new friends!

If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know. For more details, E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

Upcoming Art Treks
Paris, France – June 19-27, 2014
 Provence, France – June 26 – July 4, 2014 – wait list only
Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 5-13, 2014
Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 12-21, 2014
Athens and Santorini, Greece – May 2015
French Riviera – June 2015
Provence, France – June 2015

Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops
Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!

New Poppy Field Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 6, 2014
30″ x 48″ textured oil painting ©2013 Niki Gulley • SOLD

Just Finished – For this commissioned painting, my collector asked me to create a Tuscan landscape, loaded with vivid red poppies and yellow wildflowers on a bright sunny summer day. Created with thick oil paint and palette knives, this canvas is loaded with texture, movement and energy and the colors leap to life!

If you’d like more information on my contemporary landscape paintings, e-mail Niki Gulley.

New Monet’s Water Lilies Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 3, 2014
48″ x 48″ Textured Oil Painting, Monet’s Garden ©2013 Niki Gulley • SOLD
Just Shipped – For this commissioned painting, my collectors fell in love with my water lily paintings, but I didn’t have a size canvas that would work for their living room, so they asked me to create a custom piece that was 48″ x 48″. Using thick textured oil paint and palette knives, this water lily pond inspired from our travels to Monet’s Garden, is filled with color, movement, energy and dimension.
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If you would like join us on our next Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop to Paris June 19-27, 2014 where we will be visiting Monet’s Gardens, please check out nikigulley.com/artreks for more information.
Other upcoming Art Treks include:
Paris, France – June 19-27, 2014
 Provence, France – June 26 – July 4, 2014
Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 5-13, 2014
Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 12-21, 2014

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If you would like more information about custom paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, check out NikiGulley.com.