"Cross Hatch" Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

"Cross Hatch"

SOLD • 12" x 18" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Just Sold! Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grouping of trunks in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. Their verticality offset by the horizontal logs on the ground made for an interesting composition. On this piece, I decided to pull in tight on the trunks, really focusing on the peeling bark and gnarled knots. I chose to include just a sliver of the sentinels behind to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest and accentuating the rhythm in the upright trunks. Pops of red add to the joy and energy of the moment. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings.

See NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

New "Meandering Journey" Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

"Meandering Journey"

16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was drawn to this meandering path leading through the aspens with its dappled light creating such gorgeous shadows. Having fun capturing all of the different textures with palette knife from the lush grasses to the feathery wildflowers to the peeling bark on the aspen trees, I set out to recreate the peace and beauty of this forest. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place and enjoy an uplifting walk in the woods.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings.

See NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

New "Cross Hatch" Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

"Cross Hatch"

12" x 18" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grouping of trunks in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. Their verticality offset by the horizontal logs on the ground made for an interesting composition. On this piece, I decided to pull in tight on the trunks, really focusing on the peeling bark and gnarled knots. I chose to include just a sliver of the sentinels behind to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest and accentuating the rhythm in the upright trunks. Pops of red add to the joy and energy of the moment. I hope you, too, can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings.

See NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

New "Standing Witness" Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

"Standing Witness"
16" x 20" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Recently, we visited Santa Fe and to escape the heat we ventured up the Santo de Cristo mountains to cool down amongst the beautiful, refreshing aspen trees. I was attracted to this grove in particular with their beautiful textured white bark and their proximity and angles to each other. I decided to include the sentinels behind, also, to give you a sense of being surrounded by the peaceful forest. Dappled light casts diagonal shadows and causes the grasses to dance and sparkle. I hope you can feel the serenity of this rejuvenating place.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her palette knife aspen and birch tree paintings.

See NikiGulley.com to see more of her contemporary landscape paintings.

Santa Fe Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

12x9 pastel by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 2, morning location: downtown Santa Fe

Day two of our Santa Fe workshop, we headed to a quiet street in downtown Santa Fe. It was a beautiful morning, with temperatures around 70 to 80 degrees and plenty of shade. We were all drawn to the unique adobe architecture typical in Santa Fe, the soft morning light, and the vibrant color accents on each home. I chose this periwinkle doorway for my quick demo in pastels, both for the striking contrast against the orange pueblo and also because the russian sage everywhere was so beautiful, and added some balance on the left hand side of the composition. We all thoroughly enjoyed the morning, even if a passing homeowner or two were disappointed that we hadn't picked their doorways to paint!

One of my students, Barbara Moore, working in pastels on this adobe doorway.

Nancy Standlee completing her acrylic of this pueblo home. Beautiful!

If you'd like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings,

go to nikigulley.com,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe,

e-mail me at Niki Gulley.