Niki Gulley

ARTIST STATEMENT

At an early age, having found that the grandeur of nature has the ability to uplift the soul, my feet became set upon the path that would guide my artistic life. This emotional view of the world is something that I've tried to translate through my canvas so that the viewer can journey with me. Having been inspired by the impressionists, I strive to cap­ture the vibrant energy and intrinsic beauty of our natural surroundings.
In order to achieve the desired mood for my work, I combine my impressionistic flair for painting with a sculptor's technique, thereby creating multi-dimensional images, often by applying paint thickly using palette knives. The resulting style achieves a richness of depth that explodes with color, flows with light, and evokes an emotional response, so as to uplift one's spirits and suggest childlike wonder. Utilizing vivid colors, contrasting the play of light and shadow to create drama, and using broad energetic strokes also add to a sense of vitality and motion, bringing my landscapes to life so that the natural settings almost dance.
My impressionistic interpretations are derived out of feelings of pure joy and when my work resonates with the viewer, it's from this shared human experience that I gain satisfaction as an artist.


ARTIST BIO

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. Seeing a spark of enthusiasm, her parents signed her up for private art lessons and she has been hooked ever since. Following her childhood in Glenview, Illinois, Niki relocated to Dallas to pursue an art major at Southern Methodist University. Since she disliked the long Chicago winters, Dallas seemed like the place to stay after completing her degree.
Upon graduating Gulley entered the world of advertising, working as art director for a Dallas magazine. After a few years passed by, Niki felt like something was missing. So she started painting again during nights, weekends and any time she could find a free moment. This satisfied the void and she began to feel fulfilled again. Ten years later she segued from advertising to live her life's dream of being a full-time artist. Besides painting in her Dallas studio, Gulley has traveled the globe in search for inspiration, and often paints sketches on location to create larger works back home. With her husband and photographer, Scott Williams, they have combined their mutual experience as travelers, coupled with their passion for teaching, to conduct painting and photography Art Treks both in Europe and the US.
It's from this search for inspiration that Niki translates onto canvas her emotion for the viewer to share. She seeks to capture the beauty and mysteries of our landscape, utilizing vivid color palettes to convey a particular mood. Gulley invites you to reconnect with nature and escape the day-to-day responsibilities along with her in these creations.