For a brand new challenge this spring, I registered for Paint Historic Waxahachie, a plein air painting competition hosted in the town of Waxahachie about an hour south of Dallas. Basically, over the course of a few weeks, our assignment was to complete paintings on location anywhere in the city limits. Filled with beautiful historic homes, I was attracted to the detailed craftsmanship and architecture. Each homeowner had taken great care in decorating their porches and yards to create a warm welcome, and I wanted to capture that beauty and pride in my paintings.
For a brand new challenge this spring, I registered for Paint Historic Waxahachie, a plein air painting competition hosted in the town of Waxahachie about an hour south of Dallas. Basically, over the course of a few weeks, our assignment was to complete paintings on location anywhere in the city limits. Filled with beautiful homes built in the late 1800s, I was attracted to the detailed craftsmanship and historic architecture. Each homeowner had taken great care in decorating their porches and yards to create a warm welcome, and I wanted to capture that beauty and pride in my paintings.
Here you can see this beautiful pink Victorian surrounded by more beautiful rose and scarlet blooms. I loved the play of complimentary colors, even down to the green detailing and scrollwork on the house.
This spring I was invited to paint on this beautiful ranch south of Dallas. I loved the contrast of the red barn doors against the sea of blue wildflowers and the azure skies above. Full of texture and character, I wanted to capture its essence on that beautiful spring day. While the air was still crisp, the sun was warming the ground, causing the foreground to glow and welcoming in spring.
Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.
In this painting I wanted you to feel that child-like wonder of staring up into the treetops and heavens above. Choosing uplifting golds and reds contrasted against a turquoise-blue sky with gentle clouds drifting by, I’ve arranged the aspens in a circular pattern to give you a sense of laying on the ground, surrounded by the forest. Using diagonal leading lines with the tree trunks and limbs, your eye gazes into the focal point where all of the elements come together. Meanwhile, utilizing thick, curving paint strokes adds to that joyful, playful feeling of hope and discovery.
I wanted to show Texas’ spring landscape in a completely different way. Making sure not to over blend my thick strokes so that you could see the marks and feel the energy found in nature. Repeating patterns and waves of color create a harmony within the painting, while rendering the bluebonnets and wildflowers along with their surroundings abstractly plays with taking a traditional subject matter and showing it in a contemporary way. With an aura of mystery, late day light touches the tops of the grasses and hills with glimmers of hope.
For more information on this painting, please contact The Good Art Company Gallery, in Fredericksburg, TX at goodartcompany.com/gacart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25&sort=20a&page=1&z.
Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.