palette knife painting

New “Mountains of Color II” Desert Sunflowers by Niki Gulley

November 29, 2021

20″ x 10″ textured oil painting on canvas

On a recent trip to New Mexico, we headed towards Ghost Ranch and came across these wild sunflowers blooming alongside the road. Spreading their sunshine and reaching tall towards the light, their smiling faces filled me with cheer and I just had to paint them. Set beneath a cumulus filled sky and the mountainous backdrop, I arranged this composition vertically to add to the uplifting feeling that the sunflowers elicited.

If you are in the area, please stop by and visit the gallery to see more of my palette knife western landscape paintings.

Marigold Arts Gallery

424 Canyon Rd.

Santa Fe, NM

marigoldarts.com

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

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

New Fall Aspen Painting by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

September 29, 2021

36” x 18″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

Enjoying the melodic tinkling of the aspen leaves rustling in the breeze, the trickling sounds of the babbling brook at our side, and the beauty of fall ablaze with color, I felt invigorated as I began painting this aspen forest. The setting was so peaceful and rejuvenating that I wanted to communicate that joyful feeling of discovery. Filling the canvas with energetic staccato strokes and bold colors, in addition to gently arching the tree trunks reaching towards the sky, add to that uplifting feeling. And then just a sliver of the trail cutting through the forest, suggests the excitement of the journey that is to come.

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

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

“Sundown Serenade” Sunflower Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

July 13, 2021

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

I wanted this piece to be uplifting and full of color and energy. Sun sets on the horizon, casting its beautiful bronze glow across wind swept clouds and golden petals. Creating a quilted patchwork with the sunflower blossoms and their fronds, unexpected pops of red and purple peek out creating a rhythm and energy to the foreground. Perky, circular faces smile back at you and I hope all of your cares drift away while gazing into this magical moment.

If interested in purchasing “Sundown Serenade,” go to nikigulley.com/sundown-serenade/.

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

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

“Flowering Currents” Desert Landscape Painting by Niki Gulley

July 12, 2021

24” x 30″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

On a visit to New Mexico, we were greeted to cheerful wildflowers blossoming, adding pops of joy and sunshine to the desert scenery. Repeating patterns and waves of color create a harmony within the painting, while rendering the blooms and their surroundings abstractly plays with taking a traditional subject matter and showing it in a contemporary way.

To purchase or for more information, visit nikigulley.com/flowering-currents/.

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

Or, take a look at my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

“Rhythm Reflections” Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

July 8, 2021

36″ x 60″ textured oil painting on canvas

I love being immersed in nature. After living in a city surrounded by concrete and noise, I find being surrounded by mother nature to be extremely cathartic, peaceful and rejuvenating. In Rhythm Reflections, I became fascinated with the mirror reflection on the aspen trees in the water below the horizon line. With the lake surface slightly blurring the individual leaves, patterns started emerging that created a sort of rhythm that I found mesmerizing. Working first with thin drippy paint, and then building up thick layers of oil paint with palette knives to achieve extreme dimension, this painting is loaded with movement, energy and color. Leaving the composition slightly abstracted gives you a chance to form your own contemplative narrative with nature.

For more information or to purchase “Rhythm Reflections,” please visit nikigulley.com/rhythm-reflections/.

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

E-mail – Niki Gulley

“Fibonacci’s Dream” Abstract Aspen Painting by Niki Gulley

June 30, 2021

36” x 36″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

In this painting I wanted you to feel that child-like wonder of staring up into the treetops, mesmerized by the scene overhead. I chose uplifting yellows and golds contrasted against a turquoise blue sky with gentle clouds drifting by to lift your spirits. I’ve arranged the aspens in a spiral pattern so that you have a sense of laying on the ground, surrounded by the forest, connecting with nature and the heavens above.

Utilizing thick, curving paint strokes also adds to that joyful, playful feeling of hope and discovery.

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

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

“Cacophony” Textured Autumn Aspen Painting Niki Gulley

June 29, 2021

30” x 30″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

Enjoying the concert of aspen leaves rustling in the breeze and the beauty of fall ablaze with color, I felt invigorated as I began painting this aspen forest. The setting was so mesmerizing and rejuvenating that I wanted to communicate that joyful feeling of discovery. Filling the canvas with energetic staccato strokes and bold colors, in addition to gently arching the tree trunks reaching towards the sky, all add to that uplifting feeling of being immersed in nature’s symphony.

For more information on my textured palette knife 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 Abstract Poppy Field Painting by Niki Gulley

April 9, 2021

30” x 40″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

I absolutely love it when I come across a whole field of wildflowers – there is something about the transformation of a single dainty flower into a dense explosion of color that inspires awe and delights your senses. I liked how these rows of poppies and earth beneath them created a gentle harmony, inviting you to wander into the distance, getting lost in the moment. Full of color and hope, may “Flowering Currents” transport you to a happy serene place.

I’m excited to have been invited to exhibit amongst the talented artists at Marigold Arts gallery in Santa Fe, NM! “Flowering Currents IV” and several of my Southwest landscapes will be hanging there, so if you are in the area, please stop in and visit or check them out online, http://www.marigoldarts.com.

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

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

“Sun’s Bounty III” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

March 26, 2021

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

Sun’s Bounty is inspired from the beautiful sunflower fields we visited in Provence, France. The flowers seemed to stretch forever and the color explosion was out of this world! Back in my studio, I worked from a combination of photos, on-site sketchesand memories. Painting the sunflowers full-sized in the foreground helps to bring them to life and hopefully transport you to this happy location. Including surprising pops of vivid reds and purples keeps your eye moving throughout the scene, seeing new things each time you look at it, and adds to the joyful feeling.

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

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

New “Cacophony” Textured Autumn Aspen Painting Niki Gulley

March 16, 2021

30” x 30″ textured mixed media painting

on 1.5″ wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

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

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