Tag: photography instruction

Upcoming Plein Air Painting Workshops with Niki Gulley

March 11, 2013

The Alhambra • Granada, Spain ©2013 Niki Gulley
5″ x 8″ watercolor

After teaching our workshop in Venice, my husband and I continued onto southern Spain and visited the city of Granada to see the impressive Alhambra castle. Since the walk up to this vantage point was quite strenuous and far from our hotel, I decided to pack light and take my small watercolor kit. The portability of the watercolors turned out perfect and I was able to create this painting before the light changed too dramatically, and still had time to watch the sunset afterwards!

If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming European Art Treks, please let me know. Closer to home I’ll be leading a Plein Air Painting Workshop sponsored through the Good Art Company gallery in Fredericksburg, TX, April 5-7 and an afternoon class at the Dallas Arboretum, March 13th from 3pm – 7pm.

ArtTreks
Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 6-14, 2013
Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 13-22, 2013
Provence, France – June 2014
Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop
Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
For more details, E-mail Niki Gulley or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

Plein Air Painting in the Texas Hill Country
During bluebonnet and wildflower season!
April 5-7, 2013

These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!


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Art Trek Paris w/ Niki Gulley & Scott Williams – Day 2, Notre Dame

June 13, 2012
Notre Dame, Rose Window • 10″ x 8″ oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 2, Afternoon – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
After grabbing a delicious homemade crepé lunch, we staked out this quiet, picturesque view of Notre Dame along the Siene. Some painters chose to include the whole scene with river, church and boats, while myself and a couple of others selected this tighter view on just the intricate stained glass of the rose window. After painting the whites and grays of the cathedral in the morning light, I decided to have a little fun with the colors in the afternoon, after all we were in the home of French Impressionism.
Working with complimentary purples and oranges created vibrant highlights, cool shadows and contrasting colors that cause your eye to dance across the canvas.
One of our painters in front of Notre Dame.
Photo of two of us painting at Notre Dame taken by one of our budding photographers along on the trip. Pretty creative!

 

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If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops to
Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 – 18 (see nikigulley.com/art-classes) or
 Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 – Sept. 8 (visit nikigulley.com/artreks),
please e-mail Niki Gulley for more information. Registration deadlines are quickly approaching. We’d love to have you join us!
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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Day 2 – Paris Art Trek with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

June 11, 2012
Notre Dame • 10″ x 8″ oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 2 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams
On day 2 of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Paris, we led our group to Notre Dame Cathedral, known for its flying buttress and gargoyles overlooking the city. Since our group had never been before, they visited inside the church and hiked up to the clock tower for amazing views of the city, while I kept everyone’s gear down below. I found a nice, quiet bench and had enough time to paint this view of the backside of the cathedral until everyone finished touring. The church is so complex, I focused in on this view of the nave with it’s stained glass windows and the tops of a couple of the flying buttress to simplify the scene for an 8×10 canvas.
If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops to
Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 – 18 (see nikigulley.com/art-classes) or
 Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 – Sept. 8 (visit nikigulley.com/artreks),
please e-mail Niki Gulley for more information. Registration deadlines are quickly approaching. We’d love to have you join us!
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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

White Rock Lake oil painting by Niki Gulley

October 28, 2011

9″ x 12″ oil painting by Niki Gulley at White Rock Lake

I painted this small oil painting at White Rock Lake earlier this week, getting ready for my Plein Air Workshop this weekend. It was a perfect morning – blue skies and a gentle breeze, with an ideal temperature. I was attracted to the multi-colored sailboats and the interesting pattern they formed. With so many boats, I sketched out my composition and then I had to paint very quickly before the light changed – a fun challenge and an enjoyable, peaceful morning.

For more information on this weekend’s painting workshop, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and local Dallas scenes, visit my website at nikigulley.com/?page_id=33.

White Rock Lake painting with Niki Gulley

October 26, 2011
“Bridge to Tomorrow” ©2011 Niki Gulley
12″ x 24″ textured oil painting
On a peaceful autumn day last fall, I went out to White Rock Lake and captured this beautiful sunset behind the Dallas skyline. I liked the intricacy of the bridge and how it crossed through the composition, connecting the left and the right sides. The sunlight was peaking through the ironwork and various plants in the foreground were back lit, while the water’s surface was shimmering from the low light, spreading vivid colors in all directions. A perfect ending to the day!

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Please join me at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake this weekend for a 2-day painting workshop. I only have two spots left, so e-mail at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information and to register or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.
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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and local Dallas scenes, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Art Treks: Tuscany – last day

October 16, 2011

“Morning Textures, Tuscany” • 10” x 8″ oil by Niki Gulley

Last Day – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After a busy full day in Florence, we decided to take it easy on the last day of the workshop and paint in the nearby town of Pienza. Choosing this quiet alleyway and working on a vignette rather than the sprawling landscape, we each picked a doorway and concentrated on its individual character. The age of the stonework, dating from the era of Pope Pious II, and each home’s unique heavy wood doors made for a fun study in texture, and some of the best paintings from the trip!
Two of our students painting in a quiet picturesque courtyard in Pienza.

 

Our last meal in Tuscany, filled with truffles, pecorino, pasta, vino, fun and great memories!

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops. 

Or, if you’d be interested in learning how to paint “plein air” or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki if you are interested.
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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

February 14, 2011

“Spiritual Climb,” Pienza, Italy ©2011 Niki Gulley
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

“Amapola” ©2011 Niki Gulley
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

“Under the Tuscan Sun” ©2011 Niki Gulley
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.