photo tours – Page 17

Day 4 of Plein Air Painting & Photo Workshop in Santa Fe w/ Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

August 24, 2011

9×12 textured oil by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 4, morning location: Rio Chama

On Day 4 of our Santa Fe workshop, we headed out early for our most complex location, a striking scenic overlook of the Rio Chama. Being perched along the rim of a cliff, our group was a little nervous, but once they adjusted to the height, they could really appreciate the beauty of the scene for their paintings. With so much going on below and only a half day to capture the landscape, we had to majorly simplify the canyon into basic shapes and colors. The river not only served as a perfect focal point, but also created a soft flowing line to lead the viewer’s eye through our paintings. The rocky mountains provided a contrasting craggy texture and the green foliage added some life and color to the desert landscape.

Choosing to paint with palette knife today, I had a lot of fun playing with textures and mixing colors, which ended up adding to a feeling of spontaneity in the final painting, filled with energy and movement. While outside their comfort zone, my students’ also produced some of their best paintings from the trip!

Painting along the Rio Chama.

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If you’d like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

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To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, go to https://www.nikigulley.com/?page_id=33,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe, e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

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August 22, 2011

6×12 acrylic demo by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 3, location: Ghost Ranch

On Day 3 of our Santa Fe workshop, we headed to Georgia O’Keefe’s home and painted at the gorgeous Ghost Ranch. Between the striking rock formations, the beauty and uniqueness of the stark desert landscape, the perfectly formed white puffy clouds, and the pure quality of the light on everything in sight, it was challenging to narrow down a subject. But, I promised my acrylic painters that I’d do an acrylic demo for them, so I quickly chose this mountainside with the morning light creating brilliant peach and adobe colored highlights, contrasted against a turquoise-blue sky. The landscape was so wide and open, a panorama format seemed to work best for this scene.

While working with the acrylics were tricky due to their quick drying time, it was also far easier to avoid colors getting muddy from overworking the paint in oils. I just had to squeeze out less paint and more often than I do with oils. Establishing the major shapes and colors, then blocking in the darks, and lastly the highlights, I quickly sketched the scene for the group. Working with my largest brushes first for speed and continuity, and then moving into smaller ones for details. The left side of the scene needed something for balance, so I demonstrated how to paint this snarly cactus. With another half hour, I could have completed the scene but I wanted to get our group started on their paintings before the soft morning light was gone.

And, look at the results! Some of our students and their wonderful paintings at Ghost Ranch.

•

If you’d like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

•

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, go to nikigulley.com/?page_id=33,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe, e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

•

Day 2, Chimayo – Painting / Photo workshop with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

August 20, 2011

7×5 oil by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 2, afternoon location: Chimayo

After our lovely morning location in downtown Santa Fe, we headed north into the hills to photograph and paint Chimayo. While the church seemed like a simple subject for us to paint, the large number of angles and lack of straight lines on the adobe structure proved to be quite a challenge! Everyone did great, and we treated ourselves to sangria and the best meal of the trip at Rancho de Chimayo afterwards.

Part of our group, and our mascot “Shiloh,” painting and enjoying the shade at Chimayo.

Jeanette Korab adding the final touch to her beautiful painting.

If you’d like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, go to nikigulley.com/?page_id=33,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe, e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Day 2 – Santa Fe Painting / Photo Workshop with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

August 17, 2011

12×9 pastel by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 2, morning location: downtown Santa Fe

Day two of our Santa Fe workshop, we headed to a quiet street in downtown Santa Fe. It was a beautiful morning, with temperatures around 70 to 80 degrees and plenty of shade. We were all drawn to the unique adobe architecture typical in Santa Fe, the soft morning light, and the vibrant color accents on each home. I chose this periwinkle doorway for my quick demo in pastels, both for the striking contrast against the orange pueblo and also because the russian sage everywhere was so beautiful, and added some balance on the left hand side of the composition. We all thoroughly enjoyed the morning, even if a passing homeowner or two were disappointed that we hadn’t picked their doorways to paint!

One of my students, Barbara Moore, working in pastels on this adobe doorway.

Nancy Standlee completing her acrylic of this pueblo home. Beautiful!

If you’d like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, go to nikigulley.com/?page_id=33,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe, e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Day 1 – Santa Fe Workshop with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

August 15, 2011

9×12 oil painting by Niki Gullley

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe, NM

Day 1, morning location: Echo Canyon

We just got back from our week long workshop we taught in Santa Fe, NM, and what a beautiful week we had! While near 90 degrees, it sure beat our 100s here in Texas, and we avoided the humidity. We lucked out all week, and it never rained while we were painting. Most everyone in the group was either new to painting or it was their first time to sketch outdoors on location, and they did great! While our group was a little nervous the first day, I started them out with an oil demo so everyone could see how easy it is to jump in and just get something down on their blank canvas.

I chose this close-up view of the cliffs because the rock formations were so unusual, and the light hitting them was beautiful. Working only 9×12 and with a quick half hour demo, I wanted to keep the scene as simple as possible. Blocking in cool, transparent purples and blues for the shadow colors and distant mountains, I then added opaque, warm, thick highlights to the rocks and clouds to capture the soft, glowing morning light.

If you’d like more information on our upcoming

Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshops, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley,

or visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, go to nikigulley.com,

or to purchase this plein air study from Santa Fe, e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Plein Air Painting Workshop – Santa Fe, NM with Niki Gulley

May 9, 2011

SOLD • pastel 24″ x 36″

This pastel was inspired by the gorgeous New Mexico rugged terrain, and the pure radiant quality of the sunlight that bathes the region in a glow that makes colors come alive and adds a richness to the surroundings. Santa Fe is one of those places that allows you to witness nature’s staggering beauty amid a setting straight out of the old west.

This is the landscape that inspired Georgia O’keeffe and Ansel Adams, and now it’s your turn. We have the finalized details for our Painting & Photography Workshop in Santa Fe this August, and would love to have you join us!

Space is limited and if you sign up by May 18th, you qualify for the early discounted price so let us know soon if you’d like to come along. Visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more details.

Plein-Air Painting & Photo Workshop

Taught by Scott Williams & Niki Gulley

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 7 -13 / 2011

Early discount reservation deadline: May 18th

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

NikiGulley.com

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

February 14, 2011

Pastel • 12″ x 9″

One of my students painting in Tuscany from one of the amazing hill town overlooks.

If you’d like to join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

For more details on Scott Williams’ photography, visit Blind-Squirrel.org.

Tuscany Painting / Photo Workshop with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

February 9, 2011

SOLD • pastel 11″ x 14″

This pastel was inspired by the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

If you’d like to paint in Tuscany, too, join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10. See more details at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 or e-mail Niki Gulley for more information. We’d love to have you along for this amazing adventure!

For more information on Scott Williams’ photography, visit Blind-Squirrel.org.

Tuscany Vineyard pastel

February 7, 2011

Tuscany Vineyards by Niki Gulley

SOLD • pastel 30″ x 15″

This pastel was inspired by the beautiful Tuscan countryside. If you’d like to join us in Tuscany for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, see more details at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 or e-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

Plein Air Painting & Photo Workshop

February 4, 2011

Sold • pastel 24” x 36”

Just sold to one of my Dallas collectors, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” was inspired from one of the many gorgeous vistas near the villa our group stays in while my husband and professional photographer, Scott Williams, and I are teaching our Tuscany Workshop. Between the vibrant sunset, the gently rolling hills, and this typical stone farm house, I just had to paint this ideal location.

Many folks have been asking, so we finally have our dates for our next “Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Tuscany”, Sept. 2 – 10. This is the perfect time of year for Tuscany and with an extra day added this year, how can you pass it up?!? There is a limit of 10 people and this is the trip that filled up in two weeks last year, so don’t wait too long to sign up in case that happens again. See more details about the trip at nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. Contact me for sign up forms if you are interested in going or if you have any questions.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

Or, visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of more of my paintings and pastels.

For more on Scott Williams photography, go to blind-squirrel.org.