Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

This painting was inspired by a photo taken by a friend in Ohio. I send her photos of the warm, sunny days here in TX, she sends me the ones with snow. Being originally from NY, I occasionally miss it...well, not driving in it that's for sure.                                                            www.melissaatorresart.com                                                            Available for sale at my  Etsy

"Winter's Passage" ©2011 Niki Gulley oil on canvas • 20" x 16" "Winter's Passage" is from one of our rare days in Dallas where everything was covered in ice and even though it was the middle of winter, there was still a warmth to the landscape. So I chose a bold yellow/orange to tone the canvas and to add a glow to the final piece. While painting this White Rock scene, I really liked the contrast between the golden underpainting and the deep indigo blues in the shadows and branches, so I decided to leave the underpainting showing through. The finished painting has such an unusual light and I really love the dramatic mood that resulted. For more information on this painting, e-mail Niki Gulley or to see more of my artwork, visit NikiGulley.com .

“Snowfall Comes Early” ©2011 Niki Gulley Oil painting • 24” x 12” On our drive from Durango to Aspen, Colorado, as we rounded the last switchback near the summit north of Durango, we were greeted by these brilliant orange aspen trees and awestruck by their rare, unusual coloring. With the sun shining intensely, the contrast between the vibrant tangerine foliage, the cobalt blue sky, and the pristine white snow was absolutely breathtaking. For more information on this painting, e-mail Niki Gulley or to see more of my artwork, visit NikiGulley.com .

“Climbing Trees IV” ©2011 Niki Gulley 40” x 30” oil on canvas Growing up in the midwest, I loved the first snowfall of the year when everything would get a beautiful dusting of pristine white powder, including even the tiniest of branches in the treetops above. If you caught that moment early enough in the morning before anything had disturbed the intricate frosted web, it was just magical. I wanted to capture that brief beautiful moment in "Climbing Trees" when the sunlight dances through the icing on the treetops and you can feel yourself looking up in wonderment just like you did when you were a kid. Using extremely thick oil paint and palette knives allowed me to recreate the various textures of the birches and ice-encrusted branches. For information on this birch tree painting, e-mail Niki Gulley or to see more of my three-dimensional oil paintings, go to NikiGulley.com .