Niki Gulley paintings

“Reflections in Time” – Autumn oil painting

December 10, 2011

Oil on canvas • 24” x 36”

This painting is inspired by one of my favorite spots just ten minutes from our home in Dallas. It was a perfect autumn day – about 70° with a slight breeze and the peaking autumn colors were more vibrant than usual. With such a gentle wind, the vivid foliage and gorgeous fluffy clouds were reflected fairly clearly in the water and yet at the same time, I chose to create fluid moving strokes to suggest the peaceful energy in that moment.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my fall foliage oils.

“Muted Hues” aspen tree oil painting

December 8, 2011

“Muted Hues” ©2011 Niki Gulley
36″ x 36″ oil on canvas

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.

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

“Deep in the Woods” – Textured aspen tree oil painting

December 5, 2011

oil on canvas • 36″ x 36″

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.

E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information on my contemporary landscape paintings.

“Climbing Trees IV” – Winter Birch tree painting

December 1, 2011

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 brief 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.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information on my contemporary birch and aspen tree oil paintings.

“Fire and Gold” birch tree oil painting

November 29, 2011

oil on canvas • 36″ x 48″

I used to love it as a kid, growing up in the midwest, when my family would go hiking in the woods – especially in fall. The crisp feel in the air, the crunching of leaves underfoot and the beautiful autumn colors, along with spending time with my mom and dad were special times. In Fire and Gold I wanted to recreate those warm memories, choosing reds and yellows of autumn to heighten those happy feelings and using energetic strokes with my paint reminiscent of a carefree, simpler time. Building up thin transparent layers of oil paint also add to a certain glow and magic in the final piece.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

“Ivory Refrain” textured aspen oil painting

November 28, 2011

24” x 30” textured oil on canvas

Scrolling bark peels back like white washed parchment revealing secrets in the deeply textured wood below. A painting of grace and beauty, it’s verticality offset by embracing branches wound round as a sheltering arm. Each stroke is crisp, vivid, defined by thick textured oil, rich colors strike a reververberating chord – purple and the compliment of gold create a visual vibration that resonates in an optical song.

To see more of my aspen and birch tree oil paintings, please visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=1343.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

“Life’s Journey” – 46″ x 44″ oil painting

November 23, 2011

46” x 44” oil on canvas

Follow the deep wood’s path and wander under a canopy of sheltering leaves, light shifts through each branch and twig. Long, late rays of sunlight pierce the dreaming autumn forest, as you enter shadows dapple your journey. You are walking down a loamy path, filled with color-drenched leaves that invite you into the purple shadows where you may seek your dreams. This oil painting of a tranquil wood’s trail inspires your journey and your dreams with lush colors and rich images of beauty ahead.

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

Or visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

November 21, 2011

“Colorful Transformation” ©2011 by Niki Gulley
textured oil painting • 36″ x 48″

Now showing at American Fine Art Gallery in Dallas, in Colorful Transformation, I wanted to focus on brilliant color and simple shapes to see if I could communicate the excitement I feel when surrounded by nature. Using energetic diagonal strokes and thick, textured paint, I hope you get a sense of the motion in the leaves and the power of nature to invigorate your spirit. I just love how this piece captured that essence!

To see this birch painting, visit americanfineart.com.

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, go to nikigulley.com/?page_id=33.

E-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Painting Monet’s Garden

November 18, 2011

12” x 24” textured oil on wrap around canvas

Early morning light washes over Monet’s water lily garden in his beloved home at Giverny, France. Quiet, tranquil colors rim the pond, reflected in the glassy surface, waters casting back sky and foliage in a radiance of hues. Iris leaves front the pond, lilies break its surface, willows brush the water’s edge – everything just as Monet would have seen, now in a fresh, contemporary new work of art.

I’ll have several of my paintings from Paris along with my landscapes closer to home this weekend at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. This is my last art show for 2011, so hope you can stop by. For more details on the show, click here dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter/calendarDetail.asp?id=7770.

Or, if you would like to join us in May for our next ArtTrek to Paris, France, and paint Monet’s Gardens in person, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Registration deadline for Paris is today!

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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.comfor more information. Visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

Art Treks – Paris – deadline this Friday

November 16, 2011

Three 48″ x 30″ canvases to form a 48″ x 90″ triptych

textured mixed media 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 oil 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 circular 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.

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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.comfor more information. Visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.