Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

"A Day in Paris" ©2013 Niki Gulley • 5" x 7" oil painting I love everything about Paris from the art to the architecture to the food to just watching the world go by at a sidewalk café. This little oil painting was inspired by one of our walks along the Seine. The magazine stands selling nostalgic postcards and memorabilia are just like I'd imagined, with Notre Dame and the river as the perfect romantic backdrop. If you would like join us on our next  Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop to Paris June 19-27, 2014 , please check out  nikigulley.com/artreks  for more information.  Register by Sept. 28th for a $600 savings! Other upcoming Art Treks include: Venice, Italy – Carnivalé – Feb. 22-Mar. 1, 2014 Paris, France – June 19-27, 2014  Provence, France – June 26 – July 4, 2014 Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 5-13, 2014 Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 12-21, 2014 *** E-mail  Niki Gull...

5" x 7" pastel by Niki Gulley Day 5 - Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams Day 5, we took everyone to the Palace of Versailles, 30 minutes outside of Paris. Decadent and opulent doesn't begin to describe the castle and grounds where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI bankrupted the country. It is really something to see! After touring the chateau, we staked out a quiet back corner of the gardens away from the tourist masses, and got out our sketchpads. This massive wisteria, the scale of a medium-szed tree caught our eye, and we had to capture its beautiful violet dripping blooms. Part of our group in front of the Palace of Versailles. *** If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming  Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops  to  Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 - 18 (see  nikigulley.com/art-classes ) or   Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 - Sept. 8   ( visit nikigulley.com/artreks ) , please e-mail  Niki Gulley  for...

Notre Dame, Rose Window • 10" x 8" oil painting by Niki Gulley Day 2, Afternoon - Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams After grabbing a delicious homemade crepé lunch, we staked out this quiet, picturesque view of Notre Dame along the Siene. Some painters chose to include the whole scene with river, church and boats, while myself and a couple of others selected this tighter view on just the intricate stained glass of the rose window. After painting the whites and grays of the cathedral in the morning light, I decided to have a little fun with the colors in the afternoon, after all we were in the home of French Impressionism. Working with complimentary purples and oranges created vibrant highlights, cool shadows and contrasting colors that cause your eye to dance across the canvas. One of our painters in front of Notre Dame. Photo of two of us painting at Notre Dame taken by one of our budding photographers along on the trip. Pretty cre...

"Autumn Harvest," Tuscany ©2011 Niki Gulley pastel • 24" x 36" I was inspired to paint this pastel of the beautiful rolling Tuscan hills and vineyards after our last Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop that my husband and I taught in Tuscany. Not only were the views amazing, but the food and the wine were absolutely delicious, too! From our Tuscany workshop: Part of group pictured while touring this 300 year old wine cellar, always run by the same family. If you'd like to join us Aug. 31 - Sept. 8 for our next Tuscany Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information or visit  nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420.  Sign up by Jan. 13th for a $500 discount. To see more of my paintings from Italy, visit  NikiGulley.com .