Tag: painting workshops

January 29, 2010

Venice oil painting • 10″ x 8″ • by Niki Gulley • SOLD

This is one of my favorite paintings I completed during our Venice workshop last spring. I found us the perfect quiet spot to paint with almost no onlookers, however it turned out to be a major thoroughfare for the gondolas. We were serenaded the whole time by various baritone gondolier voices breaking into “Amoré” and curious passengers craning to see what we were painting. It only added to the ambience!
Once I blocked in the background of this piece I started painting the gondola, which was quite a challenge since they didn’t stay still for more than a few seconds. Luckily there was a constant stream of boats so if I waited a little bit, another one would come floating into the scene. Painting moving gondoliers also proved to be difficult, and I was struggling with his hair when right at that moment, a new driver came into view with this great hat and navy scarf wrapped around it. Voilà! Problem solved.
If you’d like to join us for our next painting / photography adventure in Venice this May, e-mail me Niki@NikiGulley.com. There are only 2 days left to sign up for this amazing workshop!
Visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more information.

Oil Painting Demonstration Tuscany

January 24, 2010
12″ x 12″ oil painting • Tuscany • by Niki Gulley

The NLAPW invited me to demonstrate my technique and approach to oil painting this weekend. With only 30 minutes for the demo, I thought about what I could actually paint that quickly when it usually takes me a lot longer to finish an oil painting in the studio or on location, and often times I have to complete the final layers a couple of days later when the earlier paint has dried. So I thought if I stuck with a small canvas, started with squeezing out more paint that I’d need, premixing my colors, having the underpainting and drawing completed, and stuck with a subject I was familiar with, I could accomplish enough for the group to take away a nugget or two of information.Having visited Tuscany a couple of times and painted numerous scenes plein air and from photos and memories, I chose this Tuscan landscape with the lone clump of cypress. I love the rolling hills, wildflowers in the foreground, and especially that bizarre grouping of trees in the distance. Why are they planted that way? How come they are the only trees for a mile around? The site intrigues me, so I was excited about sharing it with the group. Thank you for having me as your guest, ladies! I hope you enjoyed the demo.

For more information about my paintings from Italy or about upcoming painting/photography workshops in Tuscany and Venice, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

Details are soon to come on my website, www.nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13.

Venice Painting Workshop – Jan. 30th deadline

January 22, 2010


“Afterglow,” Venice, Italy by Niki Gulley
14″ x 11″ pastel

As we’re approaching the deadline for our plein air painting and photography workshop that my husband and I are teaching in Venice this May, I’m getting more and more excited about the trip. Venice is such a fascinating place with its architecture being 100s of years old, and the only modes of transportation being by foot or boat, that it really feels like you’ve stepped back in time. It’s difficult not to see a painting opportunity around every corner.

In “Afterglow” I wanted to capture the beautiful sunset that night over the main lagoon. The buildings in the background were kind of hazy with the sun setting, and the gondolas in front of me had just finished dropping off then final love-struck passengers and were being put away for the night. I felt like I could be in the middle of one of Claude Monet’s paintings!

If interested in other paintings from Venice or in more information about our upcoming workshops in Italy, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com or visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13. Jan. 30th is the cut off for the Venetian workshop, and space is limited to only 12 participants, so sign up today and join us for this amazing opportunity!

Venice Painting and Photography Workshop

January 5, 2010

Twilight, Venice

“Twilight, Venice” by Niki Gulley
11″ x 14″ pastel

In anticipation of our upcoming painting/photography workshop that my husband and I are teaching in Venice, Italy this spring, I thought I’d put my excitement down on canvas. I can’t wait to get back to the beauty and magic of Venice. I love entering a different world and time when we visit. This piece is inspired by the glow cast from the sun setting beyond the lagoon. Most of the gondolas have returned from their romantic cruises and have been put up for the night. There is a calmness to the usually bustling waterway that I thoroughly enjoy this time of day.

If interested in “Twilight, Venice” or in more information about our next painting/photography workshop in Italy, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

Or, visit nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13 for more information. The registration deadline of Jan. 30th is quickly approaching!