Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

12" x 9" textured oil by Niki Gulley Day 6, Pienza:   TUSCANY ART TREK Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams On the last day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we explored nearby Pienza to enjoy its picturesque alleyways and amazing views of the valleys below. Having been home to Pope Pius II, the town is filled with interesting historical sites, great shopping, delicious lunch spots and plenty of interesting corners to paint. I chose this doorway since I loved the texture of the stone walls, the potted plants around it, and the soft light raking across it. While some of our group explored Pienza, a few of the others stayed back at the villa to take a cooking class from a Tuscan mama chef. From hand rolled pici pasta, to roasted pork, to various pizzas and appetizers and finishing with a chocolate cherry ricotta torte, they shared their homemade creations with the rest of us. While they had a great time learning, we thoroughly ...

"Spring's Arrival"   ©2014   Niki Gulley 24" x 12" textured oil painting on wrap around canvas Inspired from our Art Trek to Provence, I chose to paint this stone farm house and poppy field for my palette knife demonstration for the Trinity Art Guild last week. The resulting image is loaded with thick oil paint and texture, uplifting color and energy! If you'd like to join us in Provence for our next Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop June 26th - July 4th, please let me know soon as there are only 2 spaces left! For more details,  e-mail  Niki Gulley  or go to  nikigulley.com/artreks. Upcoming Art Treks 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 Plein Air Painting / Photography...

"Welcome Home," Tuscany   ©2014   Niki Gulley 12" x 9" textured oil painting On the last day of our Tuscany Art Trek in September, we explored the nearby hill town of Pienza to enjoy its picturesque alleyways and amazing views of the valleys below. Having been home to Pope Pius II, the town is filled with interesting historical sites, great shopping, delicious lunch spots and plenty of interesting corners to paint. I chose this doorway since I loved the texture of the stone walls, the potted plants around it, and the soft light raking across it. That afternoon we gathered back at the villa for a slide show from our photographers of the trip and to see the paintings we completed, accompanied by a little wine and Italian treats. That night we enjoyed a beautiful Terrace view over dinner with amazing food and new friends. A perfect end to a perfect week! We were sad to see the week end. If you'd like to join us in Tuscany for our...

12" x 9" textured oil by Niki Gulley Day 6, Pienza:   TUSCANY ART TREK Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams On the last day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we explored nearby Pienza to enjoy its picturesque alleyways and amazing views of the valleys below. Having been home to Pope Pius II, the town is filled with interesting historical sites, great shopping, delicious lunch spots and plenty of interesting corners to paint. I chose this doorway since I loved the texture of the stone walls, the potted plants around it, and the soft light raking across it. That afternoon we gathered back at the villa for a slide from our photographers of the trip and to see the paintings we completed, accompanied by a little wine and Italian treats. That night we enjoyed a beautiful Terrace view over dinner with amazing food and new friends. A perfect end to a perfect week! We were sad to see the night end. If you'd li...

9x12 oil painting by Niki Gulley Day 1, Morning Location - Tuscany Art Trek On the first full day of our Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop in Tuscany, we painted right outside the door of the villa where we were staying. The scenery was so amazing, with 360 degree views of the rolling hills and valleys, that we wanted to stay there and take it all in. With so many interesting vistas, it was hard to choose what to paint, but I decided to narrow my focus to this red roofed home and the sunlit hills leading up to it. I began my demo by quickly sketching out the scene and then blocking in my major colors and values. Once the canvas was filled, I concentrated on the focal point, adding details, highlights and shadows to the building and cypress trees. Next I started giving the hills dimension and defined the lone cypress on the right to break up the foreground and increase the sense of depth. A perfect morning to start out the trip! After our flight, we finally ar...

Monet's Gardens, Giverny, France • 9 " x 12" oil painting by Niki Gulley Day 6 - Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams On Day 6, we woke up early to get to Monet's Gardens in Giverny to capture the early morning light. The gardens were amazing – preserved just like in his paintings! We reached the far side of his beautiful pond and quickly painted the water lilies and famous bridge, putting our contemporary spin on impressionism. *** 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 more information. Registration deadlines are quickly approaching. We'd love to have you join us! *** To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley...

"Rio Chama" ©2012 Niki Gulley SOLD • 9" x 12" textured oil Santa Fe is the muse of many famous artists and photographers, and that could be you, too! Join us for our Plein-Air Painting and Photography Workshop this August in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will transport you to different picturesque locations, where you will be painting and (or) photographing scenes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. Santa Fe offers breathtaking vistas; sunny, dry weather, world class restaurants, galleries and shopping ensconced in a charming, 400 year old Spanish Colonial city that welcomes the new and exciting and never grows old. This is a not to be missed workshop in “The Land of Enchantment.”  Santa Fe Art Trek Plein Air Painting and/or photography workshop taught by Scott Williams and Niki Gulley Santa Fe, New Mexico August 12 -18, 2012 Early discount registration deadline today! See nikigulley.com/art-classes   for more details  or e-mail  Niki...

"Tuscan Drive" ©2012 Niki Gulley pastel • 14" x 11" This quintessential Tuscan farmhouse framed by the cone-shaped cypress trees is so indicative of Tuscany and the area that we stay in that it's hard not to paint it! This scene is just around the corner from where we stay while we're teaching our Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop each September and I've always liked how the curving lines of the gravel driveway lead you up the hill. I wanted to add a lot of color and energy to the foreground grasses to create a joyful feeling, much like most everyone experiences being in Tuscany. If you'd like to come along 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.  Register by Jan. 13th for a $500 discount. We'd love to have you join us! To see more of my plein-air paintings, visit  NikiGulley.com .