We have landed in New York, about an hour from Buffalo, in Scott’s hometown. The fall leaves are just barely turning colors and the temps are in the 70s. Beautiful!
We have landed in New York, about an hour from Buffalo, in Scott’s hometown. The fall leaves are just barely turning colors and the temps are in the 70s. Beautiful!
We have arrived in New York! Second stop on our Fall Foliage Freedom Tour. 15 hours later in our RV, but we made it. Now time to relax a little bit. Come join me on this inviting Adirondack porch!
If interested in purchasing, go to https://www.nikigulley.com/adirondack-chair/.
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E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my textured palette knife paintings.
The next morning, we stopped by to photograph more puffins on our way out of town. Because you can never have enough puffin watching! Then we gathered up our merry band of trekkers and headed further east to the Vatnjokull National Park. Here we had several hours to hike and photograph the exotic scenery and another amazing waterfall before our final drive to our hotel located near the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
First stop on our Iceland Art Trek this year was the Skogafoss waterfall. Surrounded by lush grassy mountains, this cascade surges downward with such force and power! Today I set up my easel to capture the energy and flow of the water. Creating strokes in diagonal sweeping shapes to enhance that feeling of movement and rhythm, I hope you, too, can hear the flowing water’s music and feel the gentle spray from its mist.
For our next Iceland adventure, you guessed it – we visited another waterfall! This one is so magical and unique since you can walk behind the falls and peer out the cave as the water rushes from above crashing into the reservoir below. I set out to capture the gorgeous falls with all of their power and glory. Trying to find a dry enough place to paint where the mist wouldn’t keep erasing my drawing was a challenge, but on my third try, I finally found a good spot! Trying to time it so that I could capture the sun as it was setting in the distance just added to the enchanting feel of this location. I hope you, too, can feel these cascades power and beauty.
Next up on our Iceland itinerary was visiting another waterfall. My husband and I love waterfalls, and it feels like Iceland has one even better than the next around every bend! So, needless to say we were pretty happy painting and photographing all of the falls the country had to offer. This cascade that we visited today is smaller in stature but no less impressive. It tumbles down over the rocky mountain and empties into a river carving its way through the lush, craggy valley below. I wanted to capture not only the falls, but the water’s path as it flows and snakes its way around the towering rock formations. Other than the midges that would swarm when the sun came out, it was a perfect afternoon!
Perhaps I Should’ve Listened to My Parents about Becoming an Artist…
It’s interesting in talking people to find out that most of you guys have no idea what goes into exhibiting at an art show, but you’d like to know. So… for something a little different this month, how about if I regale you with the process?
It often starts with the show attempting to fit 250 artists’ SUV’s and trailers (or in our case an 18′ box truck with a 5′ lift gate) into the set up area which allows about 20 vehicles at a time to unload. Next, you dolly your canopies, display walls, art and support materials (or in our case, we push eleven 6′ x 3′ x 8′ six hundred pound carts) to your booth space.
Yes – that’s right! We all own or rent our tents and walls. The show does not supply these. Our fair fees just cover our 10′ x 10′ piece of concrete. Next, we then proceed to erect our outdoor galleries, which on our fastest day takes about 7 hours – that’s as long as there is no heat, humidity, rain, or extra dollying (like uphill over grass at the Cottonwood Art Festival.)
Then, when the weekend is over, we pack each artwork in protective wrapping and take it all down. Luckily this process goes quicker and we can finish in 3 to 4 hours, although it’s usually dark by this point. And, occasionally such as in Ann Arbor and Chicago, the show has allowed locals to drive on the streets while you are still loading up.
We then proceed to drive home, often about 1200 miles spread over two days. Usually this goes smoothly other than having to pull in at every state’s commercial truck weight station, with the occasional inspections (where you pray you receive no fines or delays.) This particular summer, besides getting some warnings in Wisconsin during out impromptu truck inspection, we ran into a few other surprises. Despite our vehicle having rather low mileage, our sway bar fell off in the middle of Tennessee, we were towed and impounded for the low price of $525 in Chicago’s suburbs despite having a parking pass, and lastly our tire blew out on the freeway 10 miles from a town in Ohio on a Sunday. Did I mention almost all businesses are closed on Sundays in Toledo? Fun stuff!
Needless to say, I am so grateful to all of you that come out to support us and allow me to continue my passion for painting!!! Scott’s getting closer to retirement, so you may be seeing us less in future years. Sadly, this was our last summer in Ann Arbor, and I will really miss you guys! But, keep in mind I am only a phone call or e-mail away if you need some artwork to lift your spirits.