Monday, July 30, 2012

One Week Left to Register for our Santa Fe Art Trek


"The Blue Door," Santa Fe ©2012 Niki Gulley
12" x 9" pastel

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM - Aug. 12-18

Last year on our Santa Fe workshop, one morning we headed to a quiet street in downtown Santa Fe. It was a beautiful day, and we were all drawn to the unique adobe architecture typical in Santa Fe, the soft morning light, and the vibrant color accents on each home. I chose this periwinkle doorway for my quick demo in pastels, both for the striking contrast against the orange pueblo and also because the russian sage everywhere was so beautiful, and added some balance on the left hand side of the composition. We all thoroughly enjoyed the morning, even if a passing homeowner or two were disappointed that we hadn't picked their doorways to paint!


Santa Fe is the muse of many famous artists and photographers, and that could be you, too. Join us for our Plein-Air Painting and Photography Workshop Aug. 12-18 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will transport you to different picturesque locations, where you will be painting and (or) photographing scenes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. Santa Fe offers breathtaking vistas; sunny, dry weather, world class restaurants, galleries and shopping ensconced in a charming, 400 year old Spanish Colonial city that welcomes the new and exciting and never grows old. This is a not to be missed workshop in “The Land of Enchantment.” 

Santa Fe Art Trek
Plein Air Painting / photography workshop taught by Scott Williams and Niki Gulley
Santa Fe, New Mexico
August 12 -18, 2012
See nikigulley.com/art-classes for more details 
or e-mail Niki Gulley with any questions and to register.

***
To see more of Niki Gulley's textured oil paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.

http://issuu.com/cfai.co/docs/visual_language_vol_1_no__6_ll

Friday, July 27, 2012

Santa Fe Art Trek - Aug. 12-18 with Niki Gulley

"Rio Chama" ©2012 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 9" x 12" textured oil


Santa Fe is the muse of many famous artists and photographers, and that could be you, too! Join us for our Plein-Air Painting and Photography Workshop this August in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will transport you to different picturesque locations, where you will be painting and (or) photographing scenes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. Santa Fe offers breathtaking vistas; sunny, dry weather, world class restaurants, galleries and shopping ensconced in a charming, 400 year old Spanish Colonial city that welcomes the new and exciting and never grows old. This is a not to be missed workshop in “The Land of Enchantment.” 

Santa Fe Art Trek
Plein Air Painting and/or photography workshop taught by Scott Williams and Niki Gulley
Santa Fe, New Mexico
August 12 -18, 2012
See nikigulley.com/art-classes for more details 
or e-mail Niki Gulley with any questions and to register.

Above: Our students painting this scenic overlook of the Rio Chama from last year's Santa Fe Art Trek.

***
To see more of Niki Gulley's textured oil paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.

http://issuu.com/cfai.co/docs/visual_language_vol_1_no__6_ll

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

"Bathed in Sunshine" Palette knife Sunflower Painting by Niki Gulley

"Bathed in Sunshine" ©2012 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 30" x 48" textured painting on canvas

Just Sold!  Inspired by our trip to Provence last summer, I was awestruck by these massive fields of sunflowers blooming. Seeing this brilliant carpet of gold, with its sea of faces smiling towards the sun, just made me feel happy and I wanted you to experience that joy, too. In person “Bathed in Sunshine” practically leaps off the canvas with its vibrant yellow petals and extremely thick three-dimensional paint.

Web - NikiGulley.com • E-mail - Niki Gulley

Monday, July 23, 2012

Commissioned Fall Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

"Where Paths Meet" ©2012 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 36" x 48" textured oil painting

Just delivered.  One of my new collectors asked me to create a painting for his wife based on one of her photos of a forest preserve in the Chicago area. I was excited to paint this custom piece for them since I've always loved tree scenes. I liked how the distinct curving lines along the path and rickety fence lead you deep into the woods. Playing with autumn golds and oranges contrasted against intense blues and purples in the shadows, I created energetic strokes with my palette knife to create web of texture in the distant tangled branches and dense falling leaves in the foreground. The final painting is full of movement, color and depth and was exactly what my new collectors were looking for!

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Or, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information on commissioning a unique painting of your own.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Textured Birch Tree Paintings by Niki Gulley

"Autumn Gems" ©2012 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 36" x 48" textured mixed media on wrap around canvas

Just Sold!  Shimmering colors of autumn: Birch and Oak trees quiver, their light graceful leaves tremble and quake, silver and gold, scarlet and tangerine, with each light breeze. There is the quiet energy of change coming and vibrant color charges the woods. Crisp fall mountain air, a band of slender straight trunks cut bright strokes of white against a dazzling tumble of amber and crimson. Staccato strokes and shimmering hues add to the feeling of change in the air and suggest the wind whistling through the foliage.


If you are in Ann Arbor, MI this weekend, please stop by my booth at the largest art show in the country to see more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings.

State Street Area Art Fair
Wed. July 18 • 10 am – 9pm
Thurs. July 19 • 10am – 9pm
Fri. July 20 • 10am – 9pm
Sat. July 21 • 10am – 6pm
Ann Arbor, MI • Liberty & State St.
Booth #B212 on N. University between Thayer & State

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

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ann Arbor Art Fair this weekend

"Dreams Revisited" ©2012 Niki Gulley
36" x 48" textured mixed media on wrap around canvas

In this painting I wanted to create a dream-like feel using one of my favorite flowers, the poppy, so I chose to paint this landscape at dusk as the sun is starting to set over the distant hills to add to that mood. I love the wildflower masses in the foreground creating waves of color, and the curving shapes adding to the sense of tranquility.


If you are in Ann Arbor, MI this weekend, please stop by my booth at the largest art show in the country to see more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings.

State Street Area Art Fair
Wed. July 18 • 10 am – 9pm
Thurs. July 19 • 10am – 9pm
Fri. July 20 • 10am – 9pm
Sat. July 21 • 10am – 6pm
Ann Arbor, MI • Liberty & State St.
Booth #B212 on N. University between Thayer & State

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

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Golden Transitions textured aspen tree painting by Niki Gullley

"Golden Transitions" ©2012 Niki Gulley
textured oil on canvas • 36" x 60"

In "Golden Transitions," I wanted you to feel like you were deep in the middle of the woods surrounded by nature in all of its beautiful autumn glory. I painted these aspen trees with extremely thick oil paint so that the texture and colors leap off the canvas.


If you are in Ann Arbor, MI this weekend, please stop by my booth at the largest art show in the country to see more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings.

State Street Area Art Fair
Wed. July 18 • 10 am – 9pm
Thurs. July 19 • 10am – 9pm
Fri. July 20 • 10am – 9pm
Sat. July 21 • 10am – 6pm
Ann Arbor, MI • Liberty & State St.
Booth #B212 on N. University between Thayer & State
a2statestreetartfair.com

***
Or, to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.
E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

Friday, July 13, 2012

"Kaleidoscope of Dreams" - Large aspen tree painting by Niki Gulley

"Kaleidoscope of Dreams" ©2012 by Niki Gulley
textured oil painting
Four 36" x 36" canvases to form a 72" x 72" quadriptych

In this painting, I wanted you to feel like a little kid again – laying on the ground and staring up into the treetops without a care in the world. I hope you experience the joy of being surrounded by nature and the beauty in this autumn kaleidoscope of colors.

If you are in Madison, WI this weekend, please stop by my booth at Art Fair on the Square to see more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings.

Art Fair on the Square
Sat. July 14 • 9am – 6pm
Sun. July 15 • 10am – 5pm
Madison, WI • 227 State. St.
Booth # 826, 828
on Mifflin St. between State St. and Wisconsin Ave.



***

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

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

"Passage of Illumination" large textured oil painting by Niki Gulley


“Passage of Illumination” ©2012 Niki Gulley
48” x 60” textured oil on canvas

Wander down this path that beckons you and lift your eyes heavenward to that cobalt vault lined by a rainbow of vivid greens and golds and gleaming crimson, purposely choosing these warm vibrant colors to suggest a hopeful future. Like an ancient chorus these joyful trees sing with dazzling colors, a call and respond to each other across the enticing path that traces verses of light and dark, hue and color, an alluring siren song leading you into the depths of this radiant, vanishing horizon. A painting rich in color and light, joy and energy its double bowed composition gently leads gently you into this magical, blissful destination.

If you are in Madison, WI this weekend, please stop by my booth at Art Fair on the Square to see more of my textured oil paintings.

Art Fair on the Square
Sat. July 14 • 9am – 6pm
Sun. July 15 • 10am – 5pm

Madison, WI • 227 State. St.

Booth # 826, 828
on Mifflin St. between State St. & Wisconsin Ave.


***

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


E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.


Monday, July 9, 2012

Just Sold! "Culmination" by Niki Gulley


"Culmination" ©2012 Niki Gulley
SOLD • Three 48" x 30" canvases to form a 48" x 90" triptych
textured mixed media on wrap around canvas

Just Sold through my Dallas Gallery, American Fine Art! 
I decided it would be a fun challenge to create an extremely large painting, and I wanted the final piece to be very uplifting, colorful and full of energy. Opting for warm colors and working with extremely thick paint and palette knives, I chose this lily pond reference from our visit to Monet's Gardens in Giverny, France. The grounds were breathtaking and I could actually see his paintings come to life. I was drawn to the energetic flow and yet calming serenity in this view, and I positioned the water lilies and my paint strokes in a circular pattern to add to that mood. The morning light peeking through the distant foliage added to a sense of mystery and promise that I wanted to capture in paint, and share with you that feeling of hope.

This painting and more of Niki Gulley's textured landscape paintings are on exhibit at American Fine Art Gallery in Dallas. See americanfineart.com for details.

Or if you are in Madison, WI this weekend, please stop by my booth at Art Fair on the Square.

Art Fair on the Square

Sat. July 14 • 9am – 6pm
Sun. July 15 • 10am – 5pm

Madison, WI • 227 State. St.
Booth # 826, 828
on Mifflin St. between State St. & Wisconsin Ave.



Web - NikiGulley.com • E-mail - Niki Gulley



Friday, July 6, 2012

New Sunflower Painting by Niki Gulley

"Bathing in Sunshine II" ©2012 Niki Gulley
30" x 48" textured painting on wrap around canvas

Bathing in Sunshine was inspired by our trip to Provence, France last summer. Our timing was perfect and the sunflowers and lavender were in full bloom. While we came across many fields of lavender, we had to search a little harder for sunflowers. Of course that meant sampling more of the local cuisine and wines for much needed fuel as we looked! (My husband likes to say we have to suffer four our art.) When we eventually came across these sunflowers, I knew immediately they would make a perfect painting. Their bright, smiling faces as big as dinner plates, the sun dappled path leading you deep into the golden field to the quaint stone farmhouse in the distance on a beautiful summer day made for the ideal subject. The resulting painting is so full of color and texture, and my hope is that when you gaze into it, this piece immediately lifts your spirits and brightens up any spot in your home.

If you would like to see this sunflower painting and more of my textured landscape paintings, please stop by my booth at the Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival this weekend.

Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival
July 7 and 8 • noon – 8 pm
Chicago, IL
Booth #90 • on Racine between Fullerton and Webster

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Niki Gulley at Lincoln Park Art Festival this weekend, Chicago, IL


"Natural Textures II" ©2012 Niki Gulley
24" x 24" textured painting on wrap around canvas

     Again, in this painting I wanted the focus to be on texture. Usually I paint with a lot of color, but I opted to use a limited palette on this piece to really concentrate on the peeling bark of the birch trees. Choosing to come in extremely close on the subject, I played around with various palette knife strokes, moving around extremely thick paint to add depth. And, of course I at the end, I had to throw in a few of my signature strokes of color – a splash of gold, some touches of lavender, and just a dab of red for added excitement and unexpected color twists. 
     Natural Textures II can be hung alone or with its companion piece, Natural Textures.

If you would like to see the "Natural Textures" series and more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings, please stop by my booth at the Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival this weekend.

Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival
July 7 and 8 • noon – 8 pm
Chicago, IL
Booth #90 • on Racine between Fullerton and Webster
chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=189

***

NikiGulley.com

Monday, July 2, 2012

"Natural Textures," New Aspen tree painting by Niki Gulley


"Natural Textures" ©2012 Niki Gulley
24" x 24" textured oil painting 

     In this painting I wanted the focus to be on texture. Usually I paint with a lot of color, but I opted to use a limited palette on this piece to really concentrate on the peeling bark of the birch trees. Choosing to come in extremely close on the subject, I played around with various palette knife strokes, moving around extremely thick paint to add depth. And, of course I at the end, I had to throw in a few of my signature strokes of color – a splash of gold, some touches of lavender, and just a dab of red for added excitement and unexpected color twists. 
     Natural Textures can be hung alone or with its companion piece, Natural Textures II.

If you would like to see "Natural Textures" and more of my textured birch and aspen tree paintings, please stop by my booth at the Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival this weekend.

Lincoln Park Art and Music Festival
July 7 and 8 • noon – 8 pm
Chicago, IL
Booth #90 • on Racine between Fullerton and Webster
chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=189

***

NikiGulley.com