Niki Gulley
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.