New Textured Aspen oil painting by Niki Gulley

"Coming Together” ©2011 Niki Gulley

40” x 30” textured oil on canvas

In this painting I wanted you to feel that child-like wonder of staring up in into the treetops and the heavens above. Choosing calming greens against a lavender-blue peaceful sky and arranging the two main aspens so that they meet in the middle, suggests a feeling of togetherness. While organizing the outlying trees in a circular pattern and using thick, curving, bold orange brushstrokes, creates a joyful, playful mood.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her textured landscape paintings.

To see this aspen tree painting, visit the upcoming "Spirit of Texas" art show at
the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas, TX, running Nov. 4th through Dec. 31st, where it will be on display. dutchartusa.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=390

Or, to see more of Niki Gulley's contemporary oil paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.

Poppy Painting by Niki Gulley at the Dutch Art Gallery

“Bursting with Color” ©2011 Niki Gulley

Two 24” x 24” textured oil paintings on canvas to form a 24” x 48” diptych

I love it when we are driving leisurely through the countryside and we come across a gorgeous field of wildflowers. The sudden burst of color thrills your senses! Playing with color and texture, I feel like this poppy painting radiates with energy and captures the joy you feel on one of the first beautiful days of spring.

With this series, you can purchase either the left or the right painting to hang alone or display both side by side to form a panorama diptych.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her textured floral paintings.

To see this poppy painting, visit the upcoming "Spirit of Texas" art show at
at Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas, TX, running Nov. 4th through Dec. 31st, where it will be on display. dutchartusa.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=390

Or, to see more of Niki Gulley's contemporary oil paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.

White Rock Lake oil painting by Niki Gulley

9" x 12" oil painting by Niki Gulley at White Rock Lake

I painted this small oil painting at White Rock Lake earlier this week, getting ready for my Plein Air Workshop this weekend. It was a perfect morning – blue skies and a gentle breeze, with an ideal temperature. I was attracted to the multi-colored sailboats and the interesting pattern they formed. With so many boats, I sketched out my composition and then I had to paint very quickly before the light changed – a fun challenge and an enjoyable, peaceful morning.

For more information on this weekend's painting workshop, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com. 

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and local Dallas scenes, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

White Rock Lake painting with Niki Gulley

"Bridge to Tomorrow" ©2011 Niki Gulley

12" x 24" textured oil painting

On a peaceful autumn day last fall, I went out to White Rock Lake and captured this beautiful sunset behind the Dallas skyline. I liked the intricacy of the bridge and how it crossed through the composition, connecting the left and the right sides. The sunlight was peaking through the ironwork and various plants in the foreground were back lit, while the water's surface was shimmering from the low light, spreading vivid colors in all directions. A perfect ending to the day!

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Please join me at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake this weekend for a 2-day painting workshop. I only have two spots left, so e-mail at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and local Dallas scenes, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

"Tell Me Your Dreams" oil painting by Niki Gulley

"Tell Me Your Dreams" ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • 11" x 14" oil painting

Just sold! I absolutely love poppies and seeing them growing in mass! In this painting I wanted to show them in a different way than we're used to seeing poppies so I chose a low angle to show off the beauty of their simplified forms and the strength of such a delicate flower, while capturing the azure blue sky behind them.

If you'd like to learn how to paint nature, join us at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake this weekend for a 2-day painting and or photography workshop. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

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

Painting at the Dallas Arboretum with Niki Gulley

"Golden Moment," Dallas Arboretum ©2011 Niki Gulley

pastel on board • 10" x 19"

The Dallas Arboretum is one of my favorite spots in the metroplex to paint, and last fall it was ablaze with color. I love being there late in the day when the crowds have thinned and the light is softer. In this pastel, I wanted to capture the intense fall foliage and the dramatic purple shadows cast by those trees along this path, which beckons you to wander down it.

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     Join us Oct. 29th and 30th at the Arboretum and White Rock Lake if you'd like to experience nature first hand while improving your painting skills. Even though working in your home or studio might feel quite comfortable, there's nothing like painting the subject that is in front of you. The sights, sounds, and smells of your surroundings actually go into your work!

     Capturing the light quickly adds to the excitement and spontaneity of your final piece, while observing values from life will take your painting to a whole new level. Often times don't you wonder when you look back through your photos, "What was I thinking when I took this one?" When you paint en plein air, you'll be able to capture the scene accurately and the magic in that moment, versus being disappointed with your photos. Also, training your eye to see light and shadow accurately on location, will greatly help your studio work by learning to correct what you are seeing in your photos. With only a couple of spots left, I hope you can join us next weekend for this exciting workshop!

Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register.

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming European Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

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

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

"Autumn Splendor" textured oil painting by Niki Gulley

“Autumn Splendor” ©2011 Niki Gulley

36” x 48” textured oil on wrap around canvas • Sold

Just sold! Shimmering colors of autumn: Aspen trees quiver, their light graceful leaves tremble and quake, silver and gold, silver and gold with each light breeze.

There is the quiet energy of change coming and vibrant color charges the woods. Crisp fall mountain air, clean bright skies overhead, a band of slender straight trucks cut bright strokes of white against a dazzling tumble of green, crimson and gold.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my textured oil aspen and birch tree paintings.

See NikiGulley.com

Art Treks: Tuscany - last day with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

"Morning Textures, Tuscany" • 10" x 8" oil by Niki Gulley

Last Day – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After a busy full day in Florence, we decided to take it easy on the last day of the workshop and paint in the nearby town of Pienza. Choosing this quiet alleyway and working on a vignette rather than the sprawling landscape, we each picked a doorway and concentrated on its individual character. The age of the stonework, dating from the era of Pope Pious II, and each home's unique heavy wood doors made for a fun study in texture, and some of the best paintings from the trip!

Two of our students painting in a quiet picturesque courtyard in Pienza.

Our last meal in Tuscany, filled with truffles, pecorino, pasta, vino, fun and great memories!

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki if you are interested.

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

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

Tuscany Workshop with Niki Gulley - Florence

"Evening, Florence" • 25" x 19" pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 5, Florence – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On day five of our Tuscany workshop, we spent the whole day in Florence, visiting some of the best art galleries in the world, exploring its impressive Duomo and architectural sites, and of course shopping! With such a busy day of sight seeing, unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to paint but we took many references to work from back home, such as my pastel above. To top off our day, we had one of the best meals of our trip, and everyone left satiated and happy. Enjoying our stroll back to the van, there’s nothing quite like the romantic feel of Florence after dark when the crowds have left and the streetlights and shop lights cast magical colors that dance across the cobblestone streets, stone buildings, Ponte Vecchio, and the river that kisses it.

Our Tuscany workshop group overlooking Florence.

If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki if you are interested.

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

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

"Magical Light," Tuscany - oil by Niki Gulley

"Magical Light, Tuscany" • 8" x 10" oil by Niki Gulley

Day 4, afternoon location – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After we finished a delicious antipasto lunch of prosciuttos, local pecorino, and fresh fruits and vegetables, we headed into the hills for our afternoon painting location. Starting fairly late in the day, we timed it so that the light would be soft and golden as we were putting the finishing details on our paintings. For this painting, we focused in closer on one of the tuscan farmhouses, with just a suggestion of the peaks and valleys in the background. Between the quiet surroundings, the quintessential Tuscan vineyard behind us and the perfect weather conditions, this proved to be a very inspiring afternoon.

Niki Gulley and one of her students painting the agriturismos and rolling hills in Tuscany.

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Sign up by the end of today for a $40 savings!

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

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

Art Treks: Tuscany - Day 4 with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

"Pienza" • 4" x 10" oil by Niki Gulley

Day 4 – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

After a busy two days of exploring surrounding hill towns, on day 4 of our Tuscany workshop, we decided to slow down the pace and enjoy the beautiful 360 degree views surrounding our villa. Today each one of my painters painters picked a different subject, feeling much more confident about painting en plein air and expressing their personal vision. 

I chose this view of Pienza for my demo, and decided that I wanted two main focal points to help tell the story of what I was seeing in the scene. I was particularly attracted to the hill town above with the church steeple rising above the rest of the village, and a simple stone house on the bottom right below. Unfortunately the trees had grown so large that they were slightly hiding the house, so with artistic license, I just moved them off to the right a little to see the house better! I arranged the composition through a series of diagonal lines to lead your eye through the scene. Then I painted in the sky and hills with a thin application of water mixable oil paint so that the paint could be drying in those areas while I started blocking in the hill town, densest foliage and farmhouse below with thicker paint. Lastly I added even thicker highlights to the buildings and details to the rows of crops to complete the painting.

One of my students, Rosemary Achepohl, and her palette knife sketches from our villa. Rosemary chose to work with 5x7 boards and a single subject and they turned out great! You can see her work and her husband's paintings, Fred Achepohl, from our Tuscany trip in Grapevine, Texas, at grapevinemainstreetartgallery.com.

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th.

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

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

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

"View from the Villa, Tuscany" 

5" x 7" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Day 3, Afternoon Location – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

After a busy morning and afternoon in Siena, we were all content to stay at the villa for our afternoon location. With it being warmer today, the pool was calling us so we set up our easels under the beach umbrellas, and started sketching the distant hills, foliage, and stone houses. With a short amount of time, we decided to work small and focus on a simple subject. We thought it would be fun to make this quick study very loose and free. So using palette knives and small canvases we layered in the rolling hills, dark to light, and then added the details on top, completing these fun, spontaneous paintings.

Niki Gulley and two of her students in front of their completed paintings at the Tuscany villa.

That night we ventured into town for dinner, and had the best dessert of the trip, fresh figs stuffed with homemade gelato and drizzled with caramel sauce. It was so good, everyone had to order more for the next night!  A perfect ending to a fun, inspirational day.

If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Early registration deadline for a $500 savings is due today!

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th.

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

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

Tuscany Workshop with Niki Gulley - Day 3

"Doorway to the Past, Siena" • 10" x 8" pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 3 – ART TREKS: TUSCANY with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Today we headed to the much larger medieval walled city of Siena, and explored its intricate marble cathedral, numerous streets and passageways, and its main square where all of the action is, el campo. One of the unique things in Siena are its hand-carved doors and detailed door knockers, which everyone had a great time photographing. Several folks savored the long Italian lunch hour while others continued shopping and touring.

If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Early registration deadline for a $500 savings is only 5 days away!

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th.

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

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

ART TREKS: Tuscany with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams - Day 2

"Autumn Harvest, Tuscany" • 24" x 36" pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 2, Afternoon – ArtTreks: Tuscany with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

After lunch, we explored the streets and shops of Montepulciano, and then later that afternoon we treated our group to a wine tour in the surrounding countryside. One of the wineries has been in business for over 300 years, and their pride and enthusiasm for their wines is infectious. Their robust Vino Nobiles were delicious, and the local meats and cheese they paired with them exceptional. Many students said this was their favorite day of the trip!

If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Early registration deadline for a $500 savings is only 5 days away!

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th.

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

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