Painting on Murano, Italy with Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

Murano, Italy ©2023 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel
 
Venice Carnivalé Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 4
 

Finding a place to paint on Murano is somewhat challenging. With shop after shop, it is mostly geared up to promote its famous glass to visitors. So, I find it lacks some of the charm of Venice and Murano. But, I did really like this ornate bridge near the glass factory.  Beautiful afternoon light raked across the scene and highlighted one lone boat parked underneath. Then, I just had to hope that no one decided to row it away, which is always one of the challenges when you are plein-air painting. But, the boat gods worked in my favor today and I was able to capture everything just in time!

 
 
 

If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. For more details, E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to ArtTreks.org.

Upcoming Art and Foodie Treks
 
 Provence, France – June / July 2023 – wait list only
Spain Foodie Trek – March 2024
 
Portugal Art Trek – Mar. 2024
Iceland  Art Trek – Aug. 2024
Tuscany, Italy Foodie Trek – Oct. 2023
These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!
 
https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

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To see more of Niki Gulley’s contemporary textured landscape paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.
 
For more information, please e-mail Niki Gulley.
 

 

 

Day 4 (Burano), Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

 
Burano, Italy ©2023 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel
 
Venice Carnivalé Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 4

Just Sold! On the fourth day of our Venice Art Trek, we headed to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known as a fishing community (and for the homemade lace that they make there), and to help the fisherman find their houses while coming back from sea, they painted their homes every color of the rainbow. With the picturesque canals and so many great colored buildings to choose from, it’s hard to pick a single subject matter!

If only we painted with that much color here, we might feel a little more joy each day! I also loved the morning light as the laundry was hanging out to dry. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate the convenience of my dryer, but there is something nostalgic about clotheslines. Helping grandma hang laundry on the line brings back such fond memories!

To see more of my travel paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

 

 

 

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If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!
 
 
 
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 
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https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

 

Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 3, Rialto Market

 

 

“Sentimental Journey” ©2023 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured oil painting
 
Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 3: Rialto Market
 
 

After breakfast, we took a vaporetto tour of the island and got off at the Rialto bridge where we wandered the fruit, vegetable and fish markets. We left the photographers there to shoot while we set up our easels in this quiet spot marking the oldest restaurant in Venice. This bridge had so much character being made completely of wood, decorated in plantings and flanked by red and white poles that we just had to paint it!

 
 
If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know. For more details, E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to ArtTreks.org.

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To see more of my travel paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

 

 

 
 
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https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

Painting Venice Canals with Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

12″ x 9″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley
 
Venice Art Trek – Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Day 2, Doge’s Palace and Painting the back canals
 

On the second day of our Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop, we visited the Doge’s Palace, in all of its glory and were awed by its impressive art collection by Italian masters. Taking the “Secret Tour” we learned about parts of the Palace that you can’t normally see, including the prisons, the torture room and stories of Casanova.

That afternoon we chose a canal to paint near our hotel while the photographers covered off the beaten path parts of the island. I liked the way the sunlight reflected across the water’s surface, and I really wanted to capture a gondola in the distance. With it being Carnival, luckily there was a steady stream of them rowing past us. At one point, a live violinist drifted by playing the most beautiful tune that echoed off the buildings. What a magical moment!

 

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To see more of my contemporary textured landscape paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.
 
For more information on my Venice and other travel paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.
 

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If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!
 
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

 

Plein Air Painting in Venice with Niki Gulley

 

SOLD • 12″ x 9″ textured oil on canvas panel by Niki Gulley

Venice Carnivalé Art Trek – Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 1: Venice

We just got back from teaching our latest Painting and Photography Art Trek in Venice during Carnivalé and had the most amazing time! The weather was ideal our first day there, and we found our way to this picturesque spot. Normally this is one of my favorite places to paint in Venice.  It’s quiet with almost no onlookers for my students, and yet gondolas frequently row by to entertain us. However, today during Carnival, it was like experiencing rush hour on water! There was a constant barrage of boats making deliveries at our dock, construction barges across the way and about 100 gondolas forming a serious traffic jam. The good news is we had a steady stream of gondolas to paint into our scene and they certainly weren’t moving very fast or at all. 
 
Since the whole city is on water, I love how their “garage doors” are actually for their boats. And, in this painting, I wanted to focus on this beautiful entrance and the textures of the buildings as morning light cast its glow. Even with the slow parade, it wasn’t enough time to fully capture the gondolier so I added those finishing touches and some sparkle to the scene back in my studio. I hope you can hear the baritones breaking into “Amoré” as they drift by us.
 

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To see more of my contemporary textured landscape paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.
 
For more information on my Venice and other travel paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.
 

***

 
If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!
 
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

Painting in Venice with Painting Teacher Niki Gulley

 

“Laundry Day IV” Burano ©2023 Niki Gulley
5″ x 7″ • textured oil painting on panel
 
On the second day of our Venice Art Trek, we headed to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known as a fishing community (and for the homemade lace that they make there), and to help the fisherman find their houses while coming back from sea, they painted their homes every color of the rainbow. With the picturesque canals and so many great colored buildings to choose from, it’s hard to pick a single subject matter! We were drawn to this quiet location, however, and the vibrant yellow stucco wall with that morning’s laundry being hung out to dry and the bicycle waiting for a ride. Today I chose to work with thick oil paint and palette knife to capture the rough surface of the walls, resulting in a final painting which is loaded with texture and color.
 
If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know.
 
For more details, E-mail Niki Gulley or go to ArtTreks.org.

Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 3, Rialto Market

 

“Sentimental Journey,” Venice, Italy ©2022 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured oil painting on panel
 
On the third day of our Venice Art Trek, we took a vaporetto tour of the island and got off at the Rialto bridge where we wandered the fruit, vegetable and fish markets. We left the photographers there to shoot while we set up our easels in this quiet spot marking the oldest restaurant in Venice. This bridge had so much character being made completely of wood, decorated in plantings and flanked by red and white poles that we just had to paint it!
 

If interested in seeing framing options and purchasing this Venice painting, please check out nikigulley.com/sentimental-journey/.

 
 
And, if you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know. 
These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!
 

 

 
2023 Schedule
Venice – Carnivalé 
Art Trek – Feb. 12-18
Tuscany
Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3
Provence
Art Trek – June 24- July 1
 
New England
Art Trek – Oct. 10-15
 
2024 Schedule
 
Spain
Foodie Trek – March  
Portugal
Art Trek – March 
Iceland
Art Trek – August
Tuscany 
Foodie Trek – October
 

 

 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

To see more of my plein air travel paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.
 
E-mail – Niki Gulley
 

Visiting Florence with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams, Tuscany Art Trek

“Evening Stroll,” 25″ x 19″ pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 5, Florence:  TUSCANY ART TREK
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

The next day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we hit the ground running by spending a full day in Florence. Visiting the Uffizi and Academy Museums with their incredible collections of Renaissance art, the impressive marble Duomo and famous Bronze Baptistry doors, wandering the cobble stone streets and admiring the stone architecture, fountains and sculptures, and allowing extra time for shopping.
 
 
Ending the day with you guessed it – another delicious meal! Then wandering back through the romantic golden-lit streets to see the beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno at night. 
 
If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. The early registration deadline of Sept. 23rd for a $600 on most trips is quickly approaching, so don’t wait!
 
 
FULL – Fall in New England – Oct. 10-15, 2017
FULL – Croatia and Slovenia – May  9 – 17 (or with extended 4 days May 9 – 21 /2018
Venice, Italy (Carnival) – February 3 – 10 /2018
Tuscany, Italy – Sept 7-15, 2018
Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – September  14 – 23 /2018   
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.
 
 
To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

“Afternoon Laundry” from Burano, Italy by Niki Gulley

 

“Afternoon Laundry,” Burano, Italy
SOLD • 7″ x 5″ • textured oil painting by Niki Gulley
 
Just sold! On the second day of our Venice Art Trek, we headed to the islands of Murano and Burano. First Murano, famous for its beautiful glass, to see a glass blowing demonstration and tour the museum. Then, onto Burano which is known as a fishing community (and for the homemade lace that they make there), and to help the fisherman find their houses while coming back from sea, they painted their homes every color of the rainbow. With the picturesque canals and so many great colored buildings to choose from, it’s hard to pick a single subject matter! We were drawn to this quiet location, however, and the vibrant blue stucco wall with that morning’s laundry being hung out to dry screamed to be painted. Today I chose to work with thick oil paint and palette knife to capture the rough surface of the walls, resulting in a final painting which is loaded with texture and color.
 
 
Painting and photographing in Burano.
 
If you’d like to join us on one of our upcoming Art Treks, please let me know. For more details, E-mail Niki@NikiGulley.com or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

New “Building on the Past” Oil Painting of the Cinque Terre by Niki Gulley

“Building on the Past,” Cinque Terre, Italy ©2014 Niki Gulley
40″ x 30″ oil painting on wrap around canvas

Last year on our Cinque Terre Art Trek, we set up our easels in Riomaggiore and I tried to capture the intricate puzzle of stacked houses precariously balanced one on top of each other lining this cliffside. The engineering feat to build them fascinates me, and I love their bright hues contrasted against the Mediterranean’s blues. I wonder what it’s like to live there, to see that gorgeous ocean view out your window everyday and on the flip side, trying to navigate all of the uneven steep steps with groceries and daily tasks. Once back in my studio, I took my plein air sketch and photos and created this larger version of Riomaggiore in all of its colorful glory. I hope you can still hear the cathartic sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore and the joy of being on vacation in such a beautiful, uplifting place.

If you’d like to join us in Cinque Terre / Lake Como for our next Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop Sept. 12th-21st, please let me know. For more details, e-mail Niki Gulley or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.
Upcoming ArtTreks

Paris, France – June 19-27, 2014
 Provence, France – June 26 – July 4, 2014
Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 5-13, 2014
Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 12-21, 2014
New Orleans, LA – Oct. 22-25, 2014

2015
Venice, Italy – Carnivalé – Feb. 2015

 Athens and Santorini, Greece – June 26 – May 2015
The French Riviera – June 2014
 Provence, France – June /July 2015


Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop
Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!
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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.