“Villa View,” Tuscany ©2011 Niki Gulley
Oil on canvas • 8” x 24”
When we teach our workshop in Tuscany, the villa and its views are so beautiful that I just had to paint it. The quintessential stone farmhouse is surrounded by these unobstructed amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding valleys and hill towns. I decided to go with a panorama format because it seemed the only way to communicate the expansive landscape around the property, and even that doesn’t begin to do it justice. I chose to work with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives since you don’t see Tuscany painted that way very often and it’s so much fun to play with all of that paint.
Another view from the villa by one of my students. Very talented!
If you'd like to join us for our next
Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10, e-mail
Niki Gulley for more information, or visit
nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. The early deadline for a $400 discount is just a week away!
Niki Gulley’s passion for painting began in grade school when she had to draw something as mundane as shoes for art class, and loved every minute of it. Her parents enrolled her in private lessons and she was hooked. Following her childhood in Chicago, Niki relocated to Dallas to pursue an art major at SMU. Since she disliked the freezing Illinois winters, Dallas seemed like the place to stay after graduating.
Next, Gulley entered the world of advertising, working as art director for a local magazine. After a few years passed, Niki felt like something was missing. So she started painting again every free moment. This is what she had been missing and she began to feel fulfilled again.
It is from this feeling of true joy that Niki translates onto canvas. She seeks to capture the beauty of our landscape, utilizing vivid colors in oil paint and pastels to convey a particular mood. Gulley invites you to reconnect with nature and escape day-to-day responsibilities along with her in these creations.
