Art Classes Dallas

Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley Paints the Tuscan Countryside

August 21, 2023

20″ x 10″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Cypress trees, tile-roofed stone farmhouses and undulating hills filled with grapevines and olive trees, signal that you have landed in Tuscany! Filled with energetic, thick palette knife strokes and uplifting colors, “Afternoon Arrival,” welcomes you to your new home away from home.

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Next summer we will be leading a Foodie Trek to Spain and Tuscany, and an Art Trek to Iceland, so if you’ve always dreamed of painting, photographing and sightseeing in Europe, please join us for one of these amazing trips! Details are available on ArtTreks.org.

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Please check out my website at NikiGulley.com, NikiGulley.com to see more of my impressionistic palette knife paintings.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary Italy and European paintings.

New “Cypress Serenade II” Art from the Tuscan Countryside by Niki Gulley

August 16, 2023

20″ x 10″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

My husband and I lead a Foodie Trek to Tuscany almost every year, and I’ve always been attracted to this lone grouping of cypress trees. I love trying to capture it in different ways, and mother nature had her hand in me choosing this location today. You see, there was a strong possibility of rain and this is one of the few locations I’ve found in the entire Tuscan countryside with a covered area that could keep me and my painting dry in the case of that liquid sunshine arriving mid-stroke. Fortunately because of the weather, the clouds in the sky were voluminous, beautiful and full of drama. Poppies blooming in the foreground just added to the excitement and energy of the moment. And, luckily I was able to capture the majority of the scene before the storms hit!

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Please check out my website at NikiGulley.com, NikiGulley.com to see more of my impressionistic palette knife paintings.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary Italy and European paintings.

New “Cypress Serenade” Art from the Tuscan Countryside by Niki Gulley

August 8, 2023

9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

I painted “Cypress Serenade” recently on location in Tuscany. I’ve always been attracted to this lone grouping of cypress trees and on this day the clouds in the sky were so fascinating. Hugging so close to the ground, soft and voluminous, acting as the perfect backdrop behind the cypress grove, I had to capture their drama before they disappeared. Wildflowers blooming in the foreground set the stage and I decided to have fun by repeating those colors throughout the scene, adding to the excitement and energy of the moment.

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Please check out my website at NikiGulley.com, NikiGulley.com to see more of my impressionistic palette knife paintings.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary Italy and European paintings.

“Walking in Sunshine” a sunflower painting by Niki Gulley painting

April 21, 2023

SOLD • 16″ x 20″ textured oil painting

SOLD through the Good Art Company Gallery. Follow the path leading you through bright, smiling sunflower faces as big as dinner plates, filling you with more joy with each step. A quaint stone farmhouse in the distance welcomes you to come in and enjoy the view as the sun starts to set over the horizon and cast its late day glow. Full of warmth, color and texture, my hope is that when you gaze into this piece, it lifts your spirits and brightens up any spot in your home.

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For details on more of my sunflower and contemporary floral landscape paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

“Walking in Sunshine” – Cheerful Sunflower painting by Niki Gulley

March 23, 2023

SOLD • 16″ x 20″ textured oil painting

Just Sold through The Good Art Company Gallery! Follow the path leading you through bright, smiling sunflower faces as big as dinner plates, filling you with more joy with each step. A quaint stone farmhouse in the distance welcomes you to come in and enjoy the view as the sun starts to set over the horizon and cast its late day glow. Full of warmth, color and texture, my hope is that when you gaze into this piece, it lifts your spirits and brightens up any spot in your home.

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For details on more of my sunflower and contemporary floral landscape paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

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If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, Spain, Portugal or Iceland, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

For more information on upcoming Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.

2023 Schedule

Tuscany

Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3

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Provence

Art Trek – June 24- July 1

2024 Schedule

Portugal – March

Spain – March

Iceland – August

Capturing Sunset, Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

March 13, 2023

Venice Carnivalé Art Trek – Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 1 – San Georgio Island

After we finished painting that morning, the photographers joined us for lunch when they were done shooting. We enjoyed a delicious pizza al fresco and afterwards the photographers kept shooting, the painters had some down time, and we reconnected late that afternoon to take the ferry across the canal to San Giorgio Island where a full masquerade of characters were gathered for sunset. My painters opted to just bring their sketchbooks and practice their quick drawing skills, capturing the costumed spectacle. That night we dined on delicious seafood pasta, fresh fish and a delicious local red wine. A great first day!

Scott Williams photograph of one of the costumes during Carnivalé.

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If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. For more details, E-mail [email protected] or go to ArtTreks.org.

Upcoming Art and Foodie Treks

Provence, France – June / July 2023 – wait list only

Spain Foodie Trek – March 2024

Portugal Art Trek – Mar. 2024

Iceland Art Trek – Aug. 2024

Tuscany, Italy Foodie Trek – Oct. 2023

These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!

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To see more of Niki Gulley’s contemporary textured landscape paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.

For more information, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Watching Sunset, Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

March 7, 2023

Venice Art Trek
8″ x 12″ pastel by Niki Gulley

After we finished painting that morning, the photographers joined us for lunch when they were done shooting. We enjoyed a delicious pizza al fresco and afterwards the photographers kept shooting, the painters had some down time, and we reconnected late that afternoon to take the ferry across the canal to San Giorgio Island where a full masquerade of characters were gathered for sunset. We chose this quiet location looking back at Venice framed by the docked boats for our paintings. That night we dined on delicious seafood pasta, fresh fish and a delicious local red wine. A great first day!

Scott Williams photograph of one of the costumes during Carnivalé.

If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know. For more details, E-mail [email protected] or go to arttreks.org.

Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops

Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!

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www.NikiGulley.com

New Orleans Garden District Painting by Texas Artist Niki Gulley

January 31, 2023

12″ x 9″ palette knife oil painting

On our plein air painting and photography workshop my husband and I taught in New Orleans, we rode the trolley to the Garden District and set out to capture the beautiful architecture so distinctive of the area. I was attracted to this grand pink house, and in particular I loved the huge old oak tree framing it. The dappled light hitting the trunk was so striking that I decided to accentuate that in my painting with a multitude of colors and values while making the background soft to keep the composition from becoming too cluttered. The sheer size and age of the trees in New Orleans is incredible, which I set out to show juxtaposing the massive oak against the smaller two-story homes in the distance. Created with palette knife and a lot of oil paint, this canvas is loaded with texture and uplifting colors so that you feel the joy and energy of hanging out in New Orleans.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my paintings.

“Going to Class” from Oxford by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

January 25, 2023

9″ x 12″ textured oil painting

Inspired from a visit to Oxford, England, I loved the feel and energy of the old college town. We stopped in our tracks one day as we were passing in front of this Ivy covered wall, almost engulfing the massive hand-carved wooden door. Golden light was raking across the scene, beckoning you to take a look and go inside. The fact that the bike was parked right there, made it the perfect photo opp and later in the studio, the perfect painting subject.

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Long and Winding Cypress Road Painting by Niki Gulley

November 22, 2022

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 5: Italian Renaisance Garden

Today we visited an operating Italian Renaissance garden. Formal and organized with clipped boxwoods and plantings in symmetrical stone urns, impressive travertine column staircases, and the largest indoor potted citrus grove in the area, it was interesting to see the contrast between an Italian garden and an American garden, and the challenges of getting irrigation to the remote property.

I was also able to paint this unique view from near the gardens of this long, winding road dotted with cypress trees – quintessential Tuscany!

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For more details on my other Tuscany paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, or Venice, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

2023 Schedule

Venice – Carnivalé

Art Trek – Feb. 12-18

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Tuscany

Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3

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Provence

Art Trek – June 24- July 1

For more information on upcoming Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.