Santa Fe Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

"High Road to Taos" ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • pastel • 14" x 11"

On our last trip to New Mexico, we were enjoying the scenic route along the high road to Taos from Santa Fe, and marveling at the wide open vistas and beautiful rugged landscape when we came upon these lone sagebrush set against the dramatic white billowing clouds in the background, and we just had to paint and photograph it. Choosing pastels to capture the fleeting moment quickly, I got the scene blocked in just before the wind blew those beautiful clouds away, and the reason why plein air painting is so magical!

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. You will work at different picturesque locations, 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.”

Plein-Air Painting & Photo Workshop

Taught by Scott Williams & Niki Gulley

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 7 -13 / 2011

Reservation deadline: June 4th

See nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more details and to register.

To see more of Niki Gulley’s contemporary landscape paintings in person, please stop by her booth at the 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago this weekend. Visit 57thstreetartfair.org for more information.

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions or visit her website at

NikiGulley.com.

Passage of Illumination oil painting by Niki Gulley

“Passage of Illumination” ©2011 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.

To see more of my contemporary landscape oil paintings, stop by my booth at the Saint Charles Fine Art Show this weekend in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles. See dtown.org/events/fine_art_show.asp for details.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

New Textured Aspen Painting by Niki Gulley

“Enjoying the View” ©2011 Niki Gulley

48" x 30" textured oil on canvas

Gentle hill and valley give way to a view triumphant; a view of steep, purple mountains crusted with snow, the soft morning light diffuses across the valley. A litany of lights and darks, greens and golds cross hatch the foothills below. White barked Aspens, straight and narrow guard the riot of color beneath them as a golden promontory rises up in the east. Tranquility and joy abound, a sense of peace and serenity flows from this one mystical moment captured forever.

To see my aspen paintings and more of my contemporary landscape oil paintings, stop by my booth at the Saint Charles Fine Art Show this weekend in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles. See dtown.org/events/fine_art_show.asp for details.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

Santa Fe Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

“Tumbleweeds” ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • 14” x 11” pastel • SOLD

Capturing the sunny mesas and the red bluffs of Abiquiu, this pastel painting brings to mind Santa Fe and the high desert: endless blue skies, rugged mountains, mesas filled with yucca, cactus and flowering spring grasses.

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. You will visit different picturesque locations, 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.”

Plein-Air Painting & Photo Workshop

Taught by Scott Williams & Niki Gulley

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 7 -13 / 2011

Early discount reservation deadline: May 18th

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

To see more of Niki Gulley’s landscape paintings, please stop by her booth at the Broad Ripple Art Fair in Indianapolis, IN this weekend – indplsartcenter.org/braf/.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

See NikiGulley.com

New Aspen Tree oil painting by Niki Gulley

“Ivory Refrain” ©2011 Niki Gulley

24” x 30” textured oil on canvas

Scrolling bark peels back like white washed parchment revealing secrets in the deeply textured wood below. A painting of grace and beauty, it’s verticality offset by embracing branches wound round as a sheltering arm. Each stroke is crisp, vivid, defined by thick textured oil, rich colors strike a reververberating chord – purple and the compliment of gold create a visual vibration that resonates in an optical song.

To see more of my aspen and birch tree oil paintings, please stop by my booth at the Broad Ripple Art Fair in Indianapolis, IN this weekend. Visit indplsartcenter.org/braf/ for details.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

"Colorful Transformation" textured birch tree painting by Niki Gulley

"Colorful Transformation" ©2011 Niki Gulley

36" x 48" textured oil on canvas

Rather than create an exact replica of the forest, I wanted to focus on brilliant color and simple shapes to see if I could communicate the excitement I feel when surrounded by nature. Using energetic diagonal strokes and thick, textured paint, I hope you get a sense of the motion in the leaves and the power of nature to invigorate your spirit. I just love how this piece captured that essence!

To see more of Niki Gulley’s landscape paintings, please stop by her booth at the Broad Ripple Art Fair in Indianapolis, IN this weekend – indplsartcenter.org/braf/.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

See NikiGulley.com

Plein Air Painting Workshop in Santa Fe, NM with Niki Gulley

“Outskirts of Santa Fe” ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • 16” x 8" oil

Capturing the sunny mesas and the red bluffs near Santa Fe, this oil painting brings to mind New Mexico and the high desert: endless blue skies, rugged mountains, mesas filled with yucca, cactus, sagebrush and flowering spring grasses.

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. You will visit different picturesque locations, 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.”

Plein-Air Painting & Photo Workshop

Taught by Scott Williams & Niki Gulley

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 7 -13 / 2011

Final reservation deadline: June 4th

Space is limited, so visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more details.

To see more of Niki Gulley’s contemporary landscape paintings, please stop by her booth at the Saint Charles Fine Art Show in St. Charles, IL this weekend – dtown.org/events/fine_art_show.asp.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

"Transcending Luminosity" by Niki Gulley at Watters Creek

"Transcending Luminosity" ©2011 Niki Gulley

Three 48" x 30" canvases to form a 48" x 90" triptych

textured oil on wrap around canvas

I decided it would be a fun challenge to create an extremely large painting this winter, and I wanted the final piece to be very uplifting, colorful and full of energy. Opting for warm colors and working with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives, I chose this water scene for its energetic flow and yet calming serenity at the same time, and positioned the water lilies and my paint strokes in a circular pattern to enliven that mood.

Also available in limited edition stretched canvas prints.

See nikigulley.com/?page_id=183&category=6 for details.

I'll have this contemporary landscape painting in addition to other large scale oil paintings at the Watters Creek Art Festival, watters-creek.com/events/Fine-Arts-Festival-Sun.htm, this weekend in Allen, TX. Please stop by my booth, #60, to see them in person.

May 13 • 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

May 14 • 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

May 15 • 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Allen, TX • in Watters Creek on Village Green Dr.

970 Garden Park Dr. (at U.S. 75 and Bethany Drive)

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

Visit my website at NikiGulley.com

Texas Bluebonnet pastel by Niki Gulley

"Last Light," Texas Hill Country ©2010 Niki Gulley

12" x 24" pastel

We drove down to the Texas Hill Country to see the bluebonnets, and the Willow City Loop did not disappoint! Thick masses of azure blue as far as the eye could see. I was particularly drawn to this scene late in the day when the sun was starting to set and creating interesting long lavender shadows across the gently rolling landscape.

I'll have this pastel and more of my Texas bluebonnet paintings at my booth at the Watters Creek Art Festival, watters-creek.com/events/Fine-Arts-Festival-Sun.htm, this weekend in Allen, TX., so please stop by to see them in person.

May 13 • 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

May 14 • 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

May 15 • 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Allen, TX • in Watters Creek on Village Green Dr.

970 Garden Park Dr. (at U.S. 75 and Bethany Drive)

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

Visit my website at NikiGulley.com

Plein Air Painting Workshop - Santa Fe, NM with Niki Gulley

"Convergence," New Mexico ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • pastel 24" x 36"

This pastel was inspired by the gorgeous New Mexico rugged terrain, and the pure radiant quality of the sunlight that bathes the region in a glow that makes colors come alive and adds a richness to the surroundings. Santa Fe is one of those places that allows you to witness nature’s staggering beauty amid a setting straight out of the old west.

This is the landscape that inspired Georgia O’keeffe and Ansel Adams, and now it’s your turn. We have the finalized details for our Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe this August, and would love to have you join us!

Space is limited and if you sign up by May 18th, you qualify for the early discounted price so let us know soon if you’d like to come along. Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more details.

Plein-Air Painting & Photo Workshop

Taught by Scott Williams & Niki Gulley

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 7 -13 / 2011

Early discount reservation deadline: May 18th

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend

“Bridge to Tomorrow,” White Rock Lake ©2011 Niki Gulley

12” x 24” textured oil on canvas

White Rock Lake sparkles in the evening sunset encompassed by the dark silhouette of the downtown Dallas skyline and the cresting bridge that carries cyclists around the lake's bike trail. Forefront dense shrubs, pampas grasses and trees frame the image and hold it in a mirror reflection of the bridge – an intriguing and complex composition that is designed to move you, the viewer, into the painting and carry your eye around this picturesque view of Dallas's cherished White Rock Lake. Rich with texture, thick palette knife strokes build lights and shadows; selecting saturated colors to suggest hope and optimism about upcoming days and using mysterious darks to define the lush foliage and offset the lowering sun.

To see this painting of downtown Dallas and more of Niki Gulley’s textured palette knife oil paintings in person, please stop by her booth at the Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend.

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.

NikiGulley.com

Texas Bluebonnets & Wildflowers oil paintings by Niki Gulley

"Texas Treats IV" ©2011 Niki Gulley

12" x 12" oil painting on canvas

I painted these Texas bluebonnets & Indian Blanket with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives to achieve extreme texture so that the image comes to life and leaps off the canvas! In this wildflower painting series, I've painted the scene around the edges of the canvas on 1 1/2" deep stretcher bars so that the paintings can be hung without a frame for a unique sculptural effect.

To see companion pieces for "Texas Treats IV," visit NikiGulley.com /?page_id=229, or please stop by my booth at Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend.

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 bluebonnets and Texas landscape oil paintings.

NikiGulley.com

New Sunflower Field oil painting by Niki Gulley

“Sunny Side Up III” ©2011 Niki Gulley

30” x 48” textured oil on canvas

Festive, sun-filled blossoms dance in the gentle breeze, filling the field with sweet fragrance. This textured oil painting captures a carefree summer morning with sunflowers overflowing the foreground, filling up the field with joy under the sunny skies above.

To see the “Sunny Side Up III” and more of Niki Gulley’s textured palette knife oil paintings in person, please stop by her booth at Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend.

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.

NikiGulley.com