Texas artist Niki Gulley

Painting Workshops in Greece with Niki Gulley

September 22, 2010

Oil painting • 10” x 20”

Journeying on from Rome, we next flew to the gorgeous island of Santorini to complete the research for our next workshop we’re teaching in Greece, May 2011. The Aegean didn’t disappoint. It was just as we remembered from our honeymoon, with gorgeous blue waters contrasting with the brilliant white-washed Greek homes stacked along the Caldera. With the breath-taking views, all you can do is simply relax and soak in all that beauty.

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop

Tuscany, Italy – September 2010 & 2011

Athens & Santorini, Greece – May 2011

Led by Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Our trip to Tuscany for this year is full, but please join us next September in Tuscany or May 2011 in Greece.

Visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more details.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com

NikiGulley.com

Painting Tuscany with Niki Gulley

September 17, 2010

Oil on canvas • 18” x 48”

Yesterday we painted the beautiful rolling hills that make Tuscany so picturesque, after a leisurely morning of hill town touring and wine sampling. Being in Tuscany right at harvest time makes the grapes taste even better! It was a perfect 78 degrees and so peaceful in this perfect spot where we set up our easels. I find the cypress trees really fascinating and unique, creating such a striking contrast to the otherwise flat surroundings. A very inspirational day!

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop

Tuscany, Italy – September 2010 & 2011

Athens & Santorini, Greece – May 2011

Led by Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Our trip to Tuscany for this year is full, but please join us next September in Tuscany or May 2011 in Greece.

Visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more details.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com

NikiGulley.com

Tuscan Hill Town pastel by Niki Gulley

September 15, 2010

Pastel 12” x 9”

Yesterday we visited the medieval walled city of Sienna in Italy. I love the cobbled streets and stone architecture of the buildings, and watching the world go by in the town square with a gelato just like the locals. Pastels are the perfect medium for capturing a quick sketch of the cobbled alleyway filled with dramatic light and unique shadows.

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop

Tuscany, Italy – September 2010 & 2011

Athens & Santorini, Greece – May 2011

Led by Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Our trip to Tuscany for this year is full, but please join us next September in Tuscany or May 2011 in Greece.

Visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more details.

Tuscany Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

September 13, 2010

Pastel 24” x 36”

Italy here we come! Scott Williams and I are off to teach our photography & painting workshop in Tuscany. Our path will take our group to the medieval towns, cypress tree-lined roads and glorious sun drenched splendor of the rolling hills that are Tuscany. Whether you are a painter or photographer, this unique workshop has been designed to allow you to hone your skills and expand your creativity, all while furthering your artistic voice. Choosing which aspects interest you, we will help guide you to capture the architecture and breathtaking vistas flooded with their extraordinary quality of light, on either canvas or film.

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop

Tuscany, Italy – September 2010 & 2011

Athens & Santorini, Greece – May 2011

Led by Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Our trip to Tuscany for this year is full, but please join us next September in Tuscany or May 2011 in Greece.

Visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more details.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com

Adult Art Classes with Niki Gulley

September 10, 2010

Oil on canvas • 20” x 60”

My husband and I love exploring the back roads whenever we’re en route somewhere. We always discover such interesting places and the scenery is so much more picturesque than along the highway. It’s fun to slow down and enjoy the journey with no agenda, which is what I had in mind when I painted “Scenic Route,” a leisurely drive down memory lane.

If interested in purchasing this painting, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com

If you’d like to learn how to paint and draw, join me this fall in my adult art classes, “Playing with Color.” Most of the spaces are full, but I still have room for a couple more in the Wednesday 12:30-2:30 class starting Oct. 13th. Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information.

Top award winners exhibit in Frisco, TX

September 8, 2010

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.

“Deep in the Woods” and several of my other new paintings will be hanging at the Frisco Municipal Complex in Frisco, TX as part of a two man show featuring my paintings and Josh Trefehen’s photographs, in honor of us winning best in show and the top award at Frisco’s Art in the Square Festival in March. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 1st at 6101 Frisco Square Blvd., Frisco, TX 75034. For more information, see the August article of Frisco Style Magazine, friscostyle.com/index.php/component/content/article/43/189-august-2010-issue.

Plein Air Painting Workshop – Tuscany

August 30, 2010

18″ x 36″ oil painting

Our upcoming workshop that we’re teaching in Tuscany makes me think about the gorgeous poppy fields blooming along the rolling Italian hills in springtime. To think that such a delicate flower can produce that powerful explosion of color when planted in mass boggles my senses. Seeing that sudden burst of intense orange or red against the azure blue sky after miles of green countryside is quite amazing. I love how complimentary colors, like blue and orange, vibrate when placed next to each other and I wanted to communicate that beauty and excitement in “Poppy Passion,” while reliving some of my favorite vacation memories from Tuscany – the warmth of the people, the beauty of the rolling hills and vineyards, the delicious, savory slow-grown food and wine and enjoying the laid-back, smell-the-roses time with my loved ones.

If you like to see “Poppy Passion” in person and you’re in the Chicago area, stop by my booth #89 at the Oakbrook Fine Art Invitational this weekend. Visit oakbrookcenter.com for more information or check.

If you’d like to find out more about our upcoming Painting & Photography Workshops in Europe, go to nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 or e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information. Our September Tuscany workshop is full, but we’re taking names for next May to Greece and Tuscany in September.

Art Classes added this fall

August 18, 2010

24” x 36” oil on canvas

Out of the 16 countries that I’ve visited, Lake Como, Italy is definitely one of my favorites places in the world. When we stepped off the train and wandered down to the water’s edge, my eyes started filling with tears being overwhelmed by the stunning scenery. Between the beautiful, peaceful lake, the awesome snow-capped alps in the distance, and the brightly colored stacked houses, we relished every minute we spent in this sleepy Lake Como town.

To see “Peaceful Harbor” in person along with my other most recent paintings, visit my booth #355 at the Gold Coast Art Show in Chicago, IL this weekend. For more information on the show, go to amdurproductions.com/f-goldcoast-public.html.

Or, if you’d like to learn how to paint luscious landscapes, join me this fall in my Adult Art Classes. Thanks to the overwhelming response to my Tuesday session, I am adding two more classes on Wednesdays. If you’re interested in joining us, visit my website at NikiGulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information,

Or, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

Turquoise Vortex oil painting

August 11, 2010

30” x 30” • oil on canvas

Growing up in Chicago, our brutally cold winters would feel like they lasted forever so my family tried to vacation along our tropical coasts whenever possible. I loved this week we spent together – the cathartic rhythm of the ocean waves lapping against the shore as dad and I tried to ride each crest as close to the beach as possible, feeling the cool sand squish between my toes and fingers while building sand castles together, and enjoying the peacefulness at sunset as the gorgeous fireball dropped down from the sky and cast diamond-like reflections across the ocean’s surface.

Turquoise Vortex recreates that magical moment as the sun starts to descend and illuminate the water’s peaks and makes everything sparkle. Using a circular composition and bold colors enhances that feeling of motion and rhythm while suggesting the awesome energy and power found in nature.

If you’d like to learn how to paint landscapes or “loosen up” your technique, join me this fall in my adult art classes. Registration is open and there are only a couple of spots left, so e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information,

Or, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more details.

Fire and Gold oil painting

August 9, 2010

oil on canvas • 36″ x 48″

I used to love it as a kid when my parents would take me to the forest preserves near our home outside of Chicago. We would spend the whole day bike riding, picnicking and being immersed in nature and I relished this time with my family. 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.