Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

5" x 7" textured oil painting, White Rock Lake, by Niki Gulley Dallas Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley  Day 2 - Afternoon Location:  Sunset Bay, White Rock Lake In the afternoon at White Rock Lake, we switched locations to find better light on our subjects. Everyone was drawn to this peaceful bay and the vibrant fall colors. Even though every painter basically sketched the same scene, it was fun seeing each artist's individual style come thorugh. With just a short amount of time left at the end of the day, I quickly captured the lake, shoreline and autumn foliage with a palette knife and my leftover paint before starting our critique. A perfect ending to our plein air painting workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake – sharing our work from each day with new friends after a gorgeous weekend of painting outside. Thanks guys! If you'd like more information about my upcoming workshops in the US and Europ...

9" x 12" oil painting, White Rock Lake, by Niki Gulley Dallas Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley  Day 2 - Morning Location: White Rock Lake On the second day of our plein-air painting workshop, we enjoyed a beautiful morning at White Rock Lake. Focusing on capturing water and the morning light, each painter picked a different vantage point, some choosing only natural subjects and others depicting sailboats on the horizon. I chose to paint these colorful boats largely for their vibrant colors and I liked how the line of the pier leads your eye back to the docked vessels. With a gentle breeze, the water had a little movement and shimmer to it that I suggested along with the vibrant foliage in this peaceful inlet. A perfect autumn morning! Morning paintings at White Rock Lake. If you'd like more information about my upcoming workshops in the US and Europe, visit  nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 . Or, to see more of my l...

Bamboo Forest – 8" x 10" oil painting by Niki Gulley Afternoon Location: the Dallas Arboretum, Bamboo Garden In the afternoon of my Plein Air Painting Workshop that I taught at the Dallas Arboretum last weekend, we found another quiet painting spot at the furthest end of the gardens. Again, it was really interesting to see how half a dozen painters all view the scene differently. Some students chose to paint roses, some potted plants and tucked away benches, and others the dappled light coming through the trees highlighting some of the mums and pathways. My EasyL pochade box and palette set-up. I've always loved the bamboo garden, so that's what I chose for my subject. I like the feeling of being protected by the tall stalks and the canopy they form overhead. There is a peacefulness back there, so that you feel like you are immersed in the middle of a forest. I also liked the way the light was filtering through in just a couple of p...

Purple Clematis, 8" x 10" oil painting by Niki Gulley Morning Location: the Dallas Arboretum, Poetry Garden On the first morning of the Plein Air Painting Workshop I taught at the Dallas Arboretum last weekend, we found one of the most quiet locations we could on such a busy, beautiful morning at the Arboretum. While a little chilly at the start of the day, it quickly warmed up to a beautiful 68 degrees. The gardens were in full fall bloom, and it was difficult to narrow down just a single subject to paint, but each painter picked out something that spoke to them – from a single flower, to a sun-lit path framed by trees, to the architecture in the private garden or a quiet bench framed by flowering pots. So that my students wouldn't miss out on the morning light, I started a quick demo that I had sketched out the previous day of these clematis. To save time, I had also laid out my palette colors, working with water-soluble oil pai...