Tag: Plein air painting workshops

White Rock Lake painting with Niki Gulley

October 26, 2011
“Bridge to Tomorrow” ©2011 Niki Gulley
12″ x 24″ textured oil painting
On a peaceful autumn day last fall, I went out to White Rock Lake and captured this beautiful sunset behind the Dallas skyline. I liked the intricacy of the bridge and how it crossed through the composition, connecting the left and the right sides. The sunlight was peaking through the ironwork and various plants in the foreground were back lit, while the water’s surface was shimmering from the low light, spreading vivid colors in all directions. A perfect ending to the day!

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Please join me at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake this weekend for a 2-day painting workshop. I only have two spots left, so e-mail at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.
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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and local Dallas scenes, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Painting at the Dallas Arboretum with Niki Gulley

October 21, 2011
“Golden Moment,” Dallas Arboretum ©2011 Niki Gulley
pastel on board • 10″ x 19″
The Dallas Arboretum is one of my favorite spots in the metroplex to paint, and last fall it was ablaze with color. I love being there late in the day when the crowds have thinned and the light is softer. In this pastel, I wanted to capture the intense fall foliage and the dramatic purple shadows cast by those trees along this path, which beckons you to wander down it.
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Join us Oct. 29th and 30th at the Arboretum and White Rock Lake if you’d like to experience nature first hand while improving your painting skills. Even though working in your home or studio might feel quite comfortable, there’s nothing like painting the subject that is in front of you. The sights, sounds, and smells of your surroundings actually go into your work!
Capturing the light quickly adds to the excitement and spontaneity of your final piece, while observing values from life will take your painting to a whole new level. Often times don’t you wonder when you look back through your photos, “What was I thinking when I took this one?” When you paint en plein air, you’ll be able to capture the scene accurately and the magic in that moment, versus being disappointed with your photos. Also, training your eye to see light and shadow accurately on location, will greatly help your studio work by learning to correct what you are seeing in your photos. With only a couple of spots left, I hope you can join us next weekend for this exciting workshop!
Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register.
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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming European Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

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

Art Treks: Tuscany – last day

October 16, 2011

“Morning Textures, Tuscany” • 10” x 8″ oil by Niki Gulley

Last Day – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After a busy full day in Florence, we decided to take it easy on the last day of the workshop and paint in the nearby town of Pienza. Choosing this quiet alleyway and working on a vignette rather than the sprawling landscape, we each picked a doorway and concentrated on its individual character. The age of the stonework, dating from the era of Pope Pious II, and each home’s unique heavy wood doors made for a fun study in texture, and some of the best paintings from the trip!
Two of our students painting in a quiet picturesque courtyard in Pienza.

 

Our last meal in Tuscany, filled with truffles, pecorino, pasta, vino, fun and great memories!

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops. 

Or, if you’d be interested in learning how to paint “plein air” or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki if you are interested.
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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

“Dancing on Water” textured water lily oil painting

June 29, 2011

“Dancing on Water” © 2011 Niki Gulley
36” x 60” • textured oil on wrap around canvas
Sunlight sparkles across aqua blue water, diamonds of purple glitter the pond’s surface; water lilies lift their faces toward the sky. Golden sunlight filters through the brambles and ferns, a touch of cardinal red peeks through purple and pink foliage while azure heavens reflect in the water. Placing the lilies in arcing patterns and staggering where they are floating about, adds to the flow and energy in the moment, and gives you the sense that they are gently dancing on water.
E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary landscape paintings.

Monet’s Passion oil painting by Niki Gulley

April 28, 2011

“Monet’s Passion” ©2011 Niki Gulley
12” x 24” textured oil on wrap around canvas

Early morning light washes over Monet’s lily pond in his beloved garden 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 water 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.

This new textured interpretation of water lilies and many other contemporary oils by Niki Gulley will be on display at Cottonwood Art Festival May 7th and 8th in Richardson, TX. Please stop by to see them in person.

Cottonwood Art Festival
Saturday May 7 from 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday May 8 from 9 am to 6 pm.
Richardson, TX, Cottonwood Park is at the corner of Coit and Beltline.
Visit CottonwoodArtFestival.com for details.
E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her landscape oil paintings.

Plein Air Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

April 6, 2011

“Tuscan Countryside” ©2011 Niki Gulley
Pastel • 14″ by 11″ • SOLD
Rolling hills, rich loamy earth, sunflowers with heavy heads; vineyards,
each vine so cared for they almost stand at attention as roses guard each row.
A blue vault spans the heavens – take a deep breath;
walk out of your villa and smell the rich earth, the clean air –
the vitality of the Tuscan countryside –
another world, another time.
“Tuscan Countryside”captures a moment in Tuscany that you can make your own. Sign up to join Niki Gulley and Scott Williams for their Plein-Air Painting / Photography Workshop in Tuscany this September and make your own unforgettable images of Tuscany. With a registration deadline of April 9th and space filling up quickly, e-mail Niki Gulley if you’d like to join them or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information on the workshop.
To see more of Niki Gulley’s paintings from Tuscany, stop by her booth at Art in the Square in Southlake, Texas, April 15-17. Visit artinthesquare.com/default.aspx for details.

Niki Gulley Paintings From Tuscany

March 28, 2011

“Doorway to the Past” ©2011 Niki Gulley
Pastel • 10” x 8”

From our last Tuscany workshop, we found this quiet alleyway and were immediately attracted to the unique doorways, cobblestone walkway, and stacked stone archways. The aging brick had so much character and the passageway was filled with warm light and dramatic shadows, making it a perfect afternoon painting spot.

If you’d like to join us Sept. 2-10 for our next Tuscany Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. With limited space and a final registration deadline of April 9th quickly approaching, we suggest registering soon.
To see “Doorway to the Past” and more of my paintings in person, stop by my booth at Art City Austin, a premier juried outdoor art festival in Austin, TX, April 2-3. I’ll be at booth #328 – on Cesar Chavez St. between San Antonio & Guadalupe Streets. Visit ArtAllianceAustin.org /art_city_austin.html for details.

3 Days Left for Tuscany Plein Air Painting & Photograhy Workshop

March 2, 2011

“View from Montepulciano” Tuscany, Italy

SOLD • 14″ x 11″ pastel by Niki Gulley

Join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Tuscany, Sept. 2 -10. In addition to daily painting and/or photography excursions, there will also be day trips into the surrounding hill towns, along with winery tours, museum visits in Florence and plenty of gorgeous Italian countryside. The villa we stay at sits atop a hill with 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding area, it has all modern convinces, plus wifi and a swimming pool. This truly is La Dolce Vita, so don’t wait until the last minute to sign up.

The early deadline for a $400 discount is just a couple days away!

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

 

From our last Tuscany workshop, everyone enjoying a delicious Italian dinner al fresco after a fun-filled day of painting, photographing and sightseeing in the Tuscan countryside.

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

February 14, 2011

“Spiritual Climb,” Pienza, Italy ©2011 Niki Gulley
Pastel • 12″ x 9″

One of my students painting in Tuscany from one of the amazing hill town overlooks.
If you’d like to join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

For more details on Scott Williams’ photography, visit Blind-Squirrel.org.