We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Niki Gulley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Niki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Yes, I make a full-time living off of my art. It took me a few years to build up a following and find my market. A lot of knocking on doors to find the right gallery and once I got established, my current galleries found me. I don’t think knowing what I know now, I could have done anything differently.
When the recession of 2007 hit, sales dwindled and we had to expand our market. I had been teaching out of my studio and my students asked if I could start taking them with us on our travels and teaching on location. My husband, Scott Williams, is a a professional travel photographer, and we came up with the idea of Art Treks where we take painters, photographers and tourists with us and lead workshops in Europe.
We have now expanded our art business to include food trips, too, since we are both huge foodies.
Niki, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve always loved painting ever since I was a kid, and decided as a teenager that was what I wanted to do for a living.
I strive to capture the vibrant energy and intrinsic beauty of our natural surroundings so as to uplift one’s spirits and suggest childlike wonder. In order to achieve the desired mood for my work, I combine an impressionistic flair for painting with a sculptor-like technique by applying paint thickly using palette knives, thereby creating multi-dimensional images. The resulting style achieves a richness of depth that explodes with color, flows with light, and evokes an emotional response. By utilizing vivid hues and contrasting the play of light and shadow to create drama, my broad energetic strokes add to a sense of vitality and motion, bringing my landscapes to life.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When the recession of 2007 hit, sales dwindled and we had to expand our market. I had been teaching out of my studio and my students asked if I could start taking them with us on our travels and teaching on location. My husband, Scott Williams, is a a professional travel photographer, and we came up with the idea of Art Treks where we take painters, photographers and tourists with us and lead workshops in Europe.
We have now expanded our art business to include food trips, too, since we are both huge foodies.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to bring joy, hope and serenity to everyone that views my artwork.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.NikiGulley.com
- Instagram: #nikigulley
- Facebook: @NikiGulley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikigulley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxbbDT2qbC7nRdNbQV6WHcA
- Other: http://www.ArtTreks.org https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55711-d23912789-Reviews-Art_Treks-Dallas_Texas.html
Image Credits
Photos by Scott Williams