Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

  "Meandering Journey"  © Niki Gulley 16" x 20" textured oil on canvas panel Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was drawn to this meandering path leading through the aspens with its dappled light creating such gorgeous shadows. Having fun capturing all of the different textures with palette knife from the lush grasses to the feathery wildflowers to the peeling bark on the aspen trees, I set out to recreate the peace and beauty of this forest. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place and enjoy an uplifting walk in the woods. For more details or to purchase "Meandering Journey," please go to  nikigulley.com/ meandering-journey / . E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Standing Witness"©2020  Niki Gulley 16" x 20" textured oil painting One of the best ways that I have found to beat the heat in Texas, is to go somewhere else. So we packed up the car, loaded in the painting supplies and headed to the mountains outside Santa Fe to commune with nature and enjoy the aspens.  Close up texture detail:  I'm excited to have been invited to exhibit at Studio Seven Arts in Pleasanton, CA. If you'd like to see or find out more details about Standing Witness, please check them out: Studio Seven Arts Gallery 400 Main Street Pleasanton, CA StudioSevenArts.com E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on my birch and aspen tree oil paintings. To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit  nikigulley.com .   NikiGulley.com

"Meandering Journey" 16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley I love going to Santa Fe, but what I find truly special, is being able to go up into the mountains and spend time painting aspen trees. There is a beautiful grove of them set back along a stream, that is pretty much one of natures finest works. I can get lost for hours in there just moving from one spot to another. I'm excited to have been invited to exhibit at Studio Seven Arts in Pleasanton, CA. If you'd like to see or find out more details about Meandering Journey, please check them out: Studio Seven Arts Gallery 400 Main Street Pleasanton, CA StudioSevenArts.com E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Standing Witness"©2019 Niki Gulley 16" x 20" textured oil painting Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down among the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grove in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. I decided to include the sentinels behind, also, to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest. Dappled light casts diagonal shadows and causes the grasses to dance and sparkle. I hope you can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place. Close up texture detail: E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Cross Hatch" SOLD  • 12" x 18" textured oil by Niki Gulley Just Sold!  Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grouping of trunks in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. Their verticality offset by the horizontal logs on the ground made for an interesting composition. On this piece, I decided to pull in tight on the trunks, really focusing on the peeling bark and gnarled knots. I chose to include just a sliver of the sentinels behind to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest and accentuating the rhythm in the upright trunks. Pops of red add to the joy and energy of the moment. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paint...

"Desert Oasis" ©2018 Niki Gulley 18" x 24" textured oil painting This summer my husband and I were asked to lecture for Southern Methodist University at the campus in Taos. We love the scenery in New Mexico so much that we decided to stay an extra week to paint and photograph. One day we drove towards Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe lived, stopping at this scenic overlook of the Rio Chama on the way. Loving the setting and the drama the light was creating on the distant rock formations, we decided to stay right there and capture its beauty.  Gentle S curves lead you down the river while shrubbery and mountain peaks create rhythmic patterns adding to the flow of the scene. I hope you, too, feel rejuvenated gazing into this desert oasis. For more details on Desert Oasis,  please contact my gallery, the Good Art Company, in Fredericksburg, TX at  goodartcompany.com/gacart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25&sort=20a&page=1&z . ...

"Desert Oasis" ©2018 Niki Gulley 18" x 24" textured oil painting This summer my husband and I were asked to lecture for Southern Methodist University at the campus in Taos. We love the scenery in New Mexico so much that we decided to stay an extra week to paint and photograph. One day we drove towards Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe lived, stopping at this scenic overlook of the Rio Chama on the way. Loving the setting and the drama the light was creating on the distant rock formations, we decided to stay right there and capture its beauty.  Gentle S curves lead you down the river while shrubbery and mountain peaks create rhythmic patterns adding to the flow of the scene. I hope you, too, feel rejuvenated gazing into this desert oasis. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Road of Promises," Ghost Ranch, NM 16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley This summer my husband and I were asked to lecture for Southern Methodist University at the campus in Taos. We love the scenery in New Mexico so much that we decided to stay an extra week to paint and photograph. One day we drove out to Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe lived. I understand why she moved there! The scenery and dramatic lighting are stunning.  That afternoon I decided to paint in another direction, attracted to the quickly moving fluffy clouds over the distant mountains and the lure of the road pulling me into the landscape. In the distance, the lake beckons as an oasis amongst the desert scenery. Working with palette knife, I set out to capture all of the different textures from the sandy foreground to the bushy sagebrush and from jagged rocks to gnarly shrubbery. I hope you, too, can feel the pull of the road of promises. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more in...

"Ghost Ranch Vista" 16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley This summer my husband and I were asked to lecture for Southern Methodist University at the campus in Taos. We love the scenery in New Mexico so much that we decided to stay an extra week to paint and photograph. One day we drove out to Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe lived. I understand why she moved there! The desert scenery is stunning. I set out to capture this beautiful mountain with its craggy rock formations with the aqua sage brush in the foreground. I loved the contrast of the orange cliffs against the cool grasses, bushes and sky and the deep purple shadows causing the shapes to pop. Painted with palette knife and thick paint, this piece is loaded with textured, color and energy. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Meandering Journey" 16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was drawn to this meandering path leading through the aspens with its dappled light creating such gorgeous shadows. Having fun capturing all of the different textures with palette knife from the lush grasses to the feathery wildflowers to the peeling bark on the aspen trees, I set out to recreate the peace and beauty of this forest. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place and enjoy an uplifting walk in the woods. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

"Cross Hatch" 12" x 18" textured oil by Niki Gulley Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grouping of trunks in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. Their verticality offset by the horizontal logs on the ground made for an interesting composition. On this piece, I decided to pull in tight on the trunks, really focusing on the peeling bark and gnarled knots. I chose to include just a sliver of the sentinels behind to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest and accentuating the rhythm in the upright trunks. Pops of red add to the joy and energy of the moment. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiG...

"Standing Witness" 16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grove in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. I decided to include the sentinels behind, also, to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest. Dappled light casts diagonal shadows and causes the grasses to dance and sparkle. I hope you can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place. E-mail  Niki Gulley  for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings. See  NikiGulley.com  to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

“Curves Ahead” ©2013 Niki Gulley 30" x 40” textured oil painting on wrap around canvas On this trip, it felt like we were flying up and down these curvy mountain roads almost like we were on an adult roller coaster. So I wanted to have a little fun in my painting and capture that sense of movement and playful excitement. Choosing bright vivid colors an curving my strokes almost in a fish-eye composition, add to the youthful energy and thrill of adventure that I wanted to communicate. For more information on my textured palette knife oil paintings, please e-mail me at  Niki Gulley. Or, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com  to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

“Stop!” ©2013 Niki Gulley 16" x 20” textured oil painting on wrap around canvas While driving from Santa Fe to Taos, this scene literally stopped me in my tracks. Something about that giant rocky mound rising up from the surrounding flat expanse contrasted against the complimentary colored sky was so graphic and surreal. Add to that the bizarre juxtaposition of the stop sign encroaching on what once was uninhabited desert landscape, and I felt like this painting had something to say. For more information on my textured palette knife oil paintings, please e-mail me at  Niki Gulley. Or, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com  to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.