Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

Heightened Awareness III ©2012 Niki Gulley 48" x 36" • Textured mixed media 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. I chose vibrant, cheerful yellows contrasted against a violet blue sky filled with big, puffy clouds. And, by arranging the aspens in a circular pattern heightened by thick, curving paint strokes, that joyful, playful feeling of hope and discovery are enhanced. If you'd like more information on my textured aspen and birch tree paintings, e-mail  Niki Gulley . NikiGulley.com

15x30 watercolor on Fabriano hot press paper that was coated with heavy gel medium. Three 6" squares were blocked off and covered. After stamping into the gel, I let it dry, then drew shapes and wrote words 'chickadee migration', covered all with blue and gold watercolor, then wiped off all paint. Next I carved out tree branches and limbs. Into the middle square I painted a bird's nest with eggs and let the painting tell me what it needed. A black crow appeared in the left square and far right a speckled leaf that uses repetition along with the eggs.

"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. ...

"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 ...