Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

"Santorini Sunset" ©2014 Niki Gulley 12" x 24" pastel My husband and I honeymooned in Greece and fell in love with everything about it. Definitely one of our favorite spots was the island of Santorini for its beautiful views of the Caldera, its white-washed architecture with the signature blue domes, the laid back attitude and the warmth of the people. Here is a view at the far end of the island in the town of Oia. I wanted to capture the "skyline," ocean view and the gorgeous sunset that night. *** If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Greece, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our  P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek  to  Athens and Santorini, Greece May 8-16, 2015 . We'd love to have you join us! E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information or go to  nikigulley.com/artreks  for more details on France, Greece, or our Italy Art Treks. For more information on "Santorini Suns...

Dining al Fresco, Venice - 12"X18" Pastel  © 2014 Niki Gulley A warm evening breeze stirs, caressing your face as you dine. The sights and sounds of Venice mingle before your eyes, an unfolding opera of color and light. A couple strolls, enamored with the beauty that envelopes them, drawn into the Italian night, hand in hand. The love between them is nearly palpable, and as they pass you by, you feel it radiate off of them, just as the light spreads itself against the encroaching night. The soft touch of the pastels help to capture the calm evening. Venice is filled with the romance and this scene really resonated with me. The warm palette gives one a feeling of calm, a comforting touch, as if by a summer breeze.  *** If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our  P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek  to  Venice during Carnivalé, Feb. 7-14, 2015 ....

Dining al Fresco, Venice - 12"X18" Pastel  © 2014 Niki Gulley Nothing like dining al fresco in Venice, Italy.  Vibrant colors, dim lighting, couples are taken in by their surroundings.  The romance is undeniable.   The pastels flow ever so softly capturing the ambiance.  Venice is known for its romance and I really liked this particular scene.  The lighting draws you in and puts you right there with them. *** If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our  P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek  to  Venice during Carnivalé, Feb. 7-14, 2015 . We'd love to have you join us! E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information or go to  nikigulley.com/artreks  for more details on France, Greece, or our Italy Art Treks. For more information on "Dining al Fresco," please e-mail Niki Gulley  n...

“A Pause in Time” Venice, Italy ©2012 Niki Gulley 18” x 24” pastel Mysterious, enchanted, dreamlike – Venice is a fairytale at night. Evening has drawn its starry cloak over the city, the crowds and pigeons are gone and three women enjoy the evening at a café in Piazza San Marco. This changeling city, this artist’s muse now is unhurried, relaxed and romantic and this one perfect moment in time is held in artful pastels, satiated colors –  rich velvet textures capture ebony/violet chairs that Peggy, Pollock or Cole Porter may have sat in, paintings of angels from old Venice and three modern women of today complete this delicate balance in a point of time. This piece won an award at the Southwest Pastel Society's 31st National Juried Show Exhibit. *** If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek  to Veni...

“Bon Appetito” ©2014 Niki Gulley Pastel 24” x 36” On my first trip to Europe, my husband wanted to take me to Venice since it was one of his favorite cities, and I fell in love with almost everything about it. The timeless quality created by living on canals free of cars, the history in the architecture and even the cobbled walkways, the beauty of the scenery and the magical quality created by the light to name just a few of my favorite things. I love how food and meals play such an important role in Italian culture – a time to slow down and enjoy friendships while savoring the locally grown cuisine and wines over the course of the evening. In this pastel I wanted to communicate all of those joyful feelings in addition to capturing the energy and romance of the city at night. Bon Appetito! *** If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our  P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Tre...

“Coming Up Sunshine" ©2014 Niki Gulley 24" x 12" textured oil painting on wrap around canvas Inspired by our travels to Provence, I painted these cheerful sunflowers with extremely thick oil paint and palette knife so that the resulting image leaps off the canvas and is loaded with energy, color and texture. To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit  nikigulley.com  or if you are in the Dallas area this weekend, please stop by my booth at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. Deep Ellum Art Festival (TX) Fri. April 4 • 11pm – 9pm Sat. April 5 • 11am – 9pm Sun. April 6 • 11am – 7pm Dallas • booth #39 on Main @Walton DeepEllumArtsFestival.com For more information on my plein air paintings and workshops in Italy and France, please e-mail  Niki Gulley or go to  nikigulley.com/artreks.

The Alhambra • Granada, Spain ©2013 Niki Gulley 5" x 8" watercolor After teaching our workshop in Venice, my husband and I continued onto southern Spain and visited the city of Granada to see the impressive Alhambra castle. Since the walk up to this vantage point was quite strenuous and far from our hotel, I decided to pack light and take my small watercolor kit. The portability of the watercolors turned out perfect and I was able to create this painting before the light changed too dramatically, and still had time to watch the sunset afterwards! If you'd like to join us on one of our upcoming European Art Treks, please let me know. Closer to home I'll be leading a Plein Air Painting Workshop sponsored through the Good Art Company gallery in Fredericksburg, TX, April 5-7 and an afternoon class at the Dallas Arboretum, March 13th from 3pm - 7pm. ArtTreks Tuscany, Italy - Sept. 6-14, 2013 Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy - Sept. 13-22, 201...

"Tunnel Vision," Venice ©2013 Niki Gulley 10" x 8" • textured oil painting On the fourth day of our Venice Art Trek, we headed to the Rialto bridge and set up our easels by the morning market. Below you can see one of my watercolor students, Melissa, painting the clock tower, while others wandered the fruit, vegetable, meat and fish stands. I chose the vantage above because I liked the repetition of the arches in the negative space and how the back of the scene was flooded with light and activity on the Grand Canal. If you'd like to join us on one of our upcoming European Art Treks, please let me know. Closer to home I'll be leading a Plein Air Painting Workshop sponsored through the Good Art Company gallery in Fredericksburg, TX, April 5-7. ArtTreks Tuscany, Italy - Sept. 6-14, 2013 Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy - Sept. 13-22, 2013 Provence, France - June 2014 Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop Led by Niki...

“Bon Appetito” ©2012 Niki Gulley Pastel 24” x 36” On my first trip to Europe, my husband wanted to take me to Venice since it was one of his favorite cities, and I fell in love with almost everything about it. The timeless quality created by living on canals free of cars, the history in the architecture and even the cobbled walkways, the beauty of the scenery and the magical quality created by the light to name just a few of my favorite things. I love how food and meals play such an important role in Italian culture – a time to slow down and enjoy friendships while savoring the locally grown cuisine and wines over the course of the evening. In this pastel I wanted to communicate all of those joyful feelings in addition to capturing the energy and romance of the city at night. Bon Appetito! If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and my husband / travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Tre...

“Rooftop View” Santorini, Greece ©2012 Niki Gulley 10” x 20” oil painting The view from our hotel that we’ll be staying at in May for our Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop to Greece  is amazing! In this oil painting, I wanted to capture the beautiful sea below with the vertically stacked puzzle piece architecture indicative of Santorini. If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Greece, join me and my husband / travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our P lein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek  to Athens and Santorini on May 10-18 . Our unique Art Treks afford you the option to choose which aspects interest you, whether it is painting, photography, both or neither, thereby giving you an opportunity to make the most of your experience. Our trips are designed to hone your skills and expand your creativity, all while you further your artistic voice and immerse yourself in the region's culture and lifestyle. Non-par...

9x12 textured oil painting by Niki Gulley Day 1, afternoon location - Tuscany Art Trek That afternoon it started to drizzle, so we picked a location that was covered where we could still paint and photograph. With the sky fairly overcast and the hues rather dull that afternoon, we used the cypress as our subject, but had fun playing with color. I think the results were even better than had it been a sunny day! Everyone's paintings turned out beautiful, and that evening we treated ourselves to a fabulous tuscan dinner of pastas, pecorinos, meats and a little vino to treat ourselves. A great end to a fun filled day! One of our photographers getting into the shot! An amazing dinner with new friends. If you'd like to join us for next year's Art Trek to Venice in February, Greece in May, Tuscany in September or Cinque Terre / Lake Como in September, please visit NikiGulley.com/Artreks  for more information. Workshops fill up quickly, so please ...

“Rolling Hills,” Tuscany ©2010 Niki Gulley Pastel • 7” x 5” With our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop that me and my husband, Scott Williams, are teaching in Tuscany, I started thinking about how much I love the region. The rolling countryside is breathtaking, the people are so warm & friendly, the food and wine are to die for, and the architecture and medieval walled cities are filled with history. In this little pastel, I hope you can take a moment to pause and soak in the beautiful Tuscan hillsides bathed in their mysterious soft light. Our Tuscany workshop is full for this September, but if you would be interested in joining us next September in Tuscany or next May in the gorgeous Greek Isles, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 or e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information. NikiGulley.com

"Poppy Passion" ©2010 Niki Gulley 18" x 36" oil painting Our upcoming workshop that we're teaching in Tuscany makes me think about the gorgeous poppy fields blooming along the rolling Italian hills in springtime. To think that such a delicate flower can produce that powerful explosion of color when planted in mass boggles my senses. Seeing that sudden burst of intense orange or red against the azure blue sky after miles of green countryside is quite amazing. I love how complimentary colors, like blue and orange, vibrate when placed next to each other and I wanted to communicate that beauty and excitement in "Poppy Passion," while reliving some of my favorite vacation memories from Tuscany – the warmth of the people, the beauty of the rolling hills and vineyards, the delicious, savory slow-grown food and wine and enjoying the laid-back, smell-the-roses time with my loved ones. If you like to see "Poppy Passion" in person and you're in the ...