Full of fun and whimsy, I wanted to give this red barn personality and also make you feel like a kid again, climbing trees, swinging from their branches and returning to a simpler time in your childhood. Hinting that the barn has humanlike features, I feel like it, too, is inviting you to come play inside. Using vivid colors, distorted perspective and energetic thick oil paint strokes, I hope “Looking Up” brings joy to your home and reminds you of the simpler pleasures when you were a kid.
Tag: Texas artist
Just Sold – “Textures of Time” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Niki Gulley
In my next painting from this barn series, I wanted to show the personality and individuality of this red barn, since it was built by hand from nearby trees on the property by the owner’s family. I almost feel like it has a playful twinkle in its windows, inviting us to come closer and check out it’s hand-carved timbers and discover what stories it holds. Juxtaposed behind this sturdy oak, two enduring souls, are loaded with character, texture and rustic beauty, monuments to a simpler disappearing way of life.
“Looking Up” New Red Barn oil painting by Niki Gulley
Full of fun and whimsy, I not only wanted to show the personality of this red barn but also make you feel like a kid again, climbing trees, swinging from their branches and returning to a simpler time in your childhood. Hinting that the barn has humanlike features, I feel like it, too, is inviting you to come play inside. Using vivid colors, distorted perspective and energetic thick oil paint strokes, I hope “Looking Up” brings joy to your home and reminds you of the simpler pleasures when you were a kid.
SOLD – “Long Shadows” Palette Knife oil painting by Niki Gulley
Nash Farm, Grapevine Painted on location in Grapevine, TX, I was drawn to this old barn still standing amidst all of the modern housing and commercial buildings encroaching upon it. 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 strong casting beautiful shadows from the oaks and welcoming in spring.
“Embrace” textured birch oil painting by Niki Gulley
“Aqua Dreams” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley
When we arrived at this tranquil spot, the early morning light was very cool in color, but as the sun began to rise from the horizon, it shone this beautiful warm light that shimmered on the water’s surface and cast its hope of what was to come from the brand new day. I remember the peacefulness I felt in that moment, and a sense that anything was possible. In Aqua Dreams, by showing the contrast in the cool aqua/blues in the foreground waters against the warm golden glow on the distant pond’s edge, I wanted to share that feeling of hope and promise communicated by nature.
Just Sold – Colorado Aspen Tree Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley
Just Sold – “Living on the Edge” Colorado Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley
Just Sold – “Branching Out” New Textured Palette Knife Barn painting by Niki Gulley
Having grown up in Chicago, my husband and I return to the Midwest every summer, driving through miles of farmland between Texas and Illinois. While sometimes stark, I also find a peacefulness in the wide open countryside, a nostalgic tug on a simpler time from my childhood, and a fascination with the rustic beauty of each barn. I find it inspiring that so many of the structures were built by the farmers themselves from nearby trees, cut down and fashioned by hand. Each one has its unique personality, both pragmatic and aesthetic, a symbol that’s stood the test of time despite a disappearing way of life. In “Branching Out,” I wanted to juxtapose this sturdy oak framing an iconic red barn in the background, inviting you to climb its branches and relive childhood memories.
New “Autumn Reflections” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley
In Autumn Reflections, I wanted to give you the feeling of a beautiful, peaceful retreat on a colorful autumn day. To create that feeling of being immersed in nature, I chose this long panorama format so that the sanctuary is completely engulfed in fall foliage, a perfect escape from bustling city life. Loaded with uplifting color, still waters suggest a calming effect. One small ripple in the lake’s distance lets you know that some ducks just swam by and you are surrounded by wildlife, not a care in the world.









