Crystal Mill, Colorado oil painting by Niki Gulley

“Crystal Mill,” Crystal, Colorado ©2011 Niki Gulley

Oil painting • 14” x 11”

My husband and I absolutely love the scenery in Colorado, so we planned our trip to see the aspens turning color in September, and that just happened to coincide with their earliest snowfall on record! In order to capture both the beautiful foliage and the snow before it melted we hiked as quickly as we could up the mountain, and were rewarded with a gorgeous view. I chose this vantage because I liked how the aspen trees perfectly framed the mill and stream in the distance. Then, the sun emerged and made everything sparkle. The colors came alive and dramatic cool shadows were cast in the snow, and I just had to create the scene in paint.

For more information on this painting, e-mail Niki Gulley or to see more of my artwork, visit NikiGulley.com.

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