plein-air painting workshops Italy

Day 2, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 21, 2017

12″ x 9″ oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 2: TUSCANY ART TREK – Montepulciano and Wine Tasting
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the second day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we set up our easels at a scenic overlook in Montepulciano while the photographers went exploring. The view of the valley below is gorgeous with miles of olive groves and vineyards stretching to the horizon. I chose to paint this lone Tuscan farmhouse below set amid the rolling hills and perfectly planted rows about to be harvested. In the afternoon, we visited two wineries and sampled some amazing red wines and the region’s prized Vin Santo. Another fantastic day in Tuscany!

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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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Day 1, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 18, 2017

12″ x 9″ oil painting by Niki Gulley • SOLD

Day 1: TUSCANY ART TREK

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

We had so many people who wanted to come along on our Tuscany Art Trek this year that we had enough interest to teach a second week! On the first day of our second Tuscany Art Trek, we set up and painted right at the villa where we were staying. The views are incredible of the surrounding valleys and hill towns, and I chose to paint this scene with lounge chairs and rose bush on the back of the property framing Pienza in the distance. For lunch we dined al fresco at the farmhouse on local meats, cheeses and amazing fruits and vegetables, and in the afternoon we went exploring in the countryside. A perfect first day in Tuscany!

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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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Last Day, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 16, 2017

5″ x 7″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley • SOLD

Last Day: TUSCANY ART TREK

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

That afternoon, we all had free time. Some people stayed in Pienza to shop and explore the town, while others came back to the villa to chill out by the pool. I had enough time to complete one more small 5×7 oil painting of the villa itself. I loved this prolific rose bush in front of the unique terra cotta tile window offset against cypress trees, an olive grove and rolling hills in the distance.

Before dinner we gathered back at the villa for a slide from our photographers of the trip and to see the paintings we completed, accompanied by a little wine and Italian treats. That night we enjoyed a beautiful Terrace view with one last picture perfect sunset over dinner with amazing food and new friends. A perfect end to a perfect week! We were sad to see the night end.

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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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Day 3, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 4, 2017

12″ x 9″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley • SOLD

Day 3: TUSCANY ART TREK

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the next day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we took it easy and painted right at the villa while the photographers and the rest of the group went exploring in Montalcino. I decided to paint this view from our breakfast table, since I’d been admiring it every day of the trip. It was a gorgeous morning with beautiful puffy white clouds that gave the landscape a soft filtered light. Pienza sits atop the hillside in the distance with the Adirondack chair and rose bush blooms framing the foreground. A perfect place to sit and relax!

For lunch we feasted on fresh local fruit and vegees, pecorinos, cured meats and a little wine and prosecco at the villa. Bon appetito!

***

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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Visiting Montepulciano and Tuscan Wineries with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 2, 2017

Day 2, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

The next morning of our Tuscany Art Trek, we headed to the wine town of Montepulciano. Perched atop a giant hill with beautiful views of the surrounding vineyards below, we set up our easels at this breathtaking overlook. We had to work quickly to capture the morning light before it disappeared, while the photographers and the others explored ancient wine cellars, quiet back alleys and even got in a little shopping.

After lunch, we visited two wineries nearby to sample their Rossos, Vino Nobiles and the delicious sweet dessert wine, Vin Santo. Full from the local meats and cheeses and tasty red wines, we headed back to the villa for a quiet night of relaxing and soaking in the evening scenery.

FULL – Fall in New England – Oct. 10-15, 2017

FULL – Croatia & 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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Day 1, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

July 31, 2017

Day 1, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the first morning of our Tuscany Art Trek, my husband went over camera functions and tips with his photography students while my painters set up to capture this gorgeous view of the distant hills and farmhouse that we see from our breakfast table each morning. With a few clouds drifting by, the sun kept illuminating the foreground Rapeseed and making the hills glow gold and chartreuse. I liked the single farmhouse set against the distant mountains and the one lone cypress growing in the middle of all that yellow. What a perfect morning!

That afternoon we continued painting at the villa while the photographers explored the scenic countryside, and we all gathered that evening for a delicious meal of melted pecorino and homemade rustic bread, pici (hand rolled pasta) with wild boar sauce or truffle ravioli for others, fresh organic vegetables and of course the local red wine to top it off!

***

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 savings 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.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Just Sold – “Italian Puzzle” Plein Air pastel painting from Cinque Terre, Italy by Niki Gulley

June 9, 2017

SOLD • 9″ x 12″ pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 3, Manarola: CINQUE TERRE / LAKE COMO ART TREK

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On our third day in the Cinque Terre, us painters set up our easels from the hiking trail to look back at the town of Manarola while the photographers hiked around the town of Cornelia in the morning and joined us in Manarola in the afternoon. Since we had more time today, we all decide to paint the intricate stacked buildings in front of us and once again, listen to the sound of the waves crashing below us.

For dinner, we dined al fresco along the waterfront with a fantastic meal of fresh seafood and grilled fish and a little red wine to wash it down! A perfect ending to our Cinque Terre portion of our Art Trek.

If you’d like to join us in Cinque Terre / Lake Como for our next Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop in Sept. 2018, please let me know. For more details, e-mail Niki Gulley or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Last Day, Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

December 18, 2014

Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 8: Varenna

On the last day of Lake Como Art Trek, we stayed right at our hotel and painted the gorgeous view of the town and water below while the photographers explored some more. We reconvened later that afternoon to see what the painters had created each day and watch a slide show of the photographer’s work. That evening we dined on a delicious meal of local meats, lake fish, pastas and of course, wine, while enjoying our last night together with new friends. A perfect ending to a wonderful trip!

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know.

Spaces are filling up quickly, so don’t wait!

Athens and Santorini, Greece – May 8-16, 2015

The French Riviera – June 18-26, 2015

Provence, France – June 25-July 3, 2015

Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 4-12, 2015

Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 11-19, 2015

For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Day 7, Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

December 15, 2014

Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 7, afternoon location: Villa Babianello

After a busy schedule the day before, several of us opted to take it easy and join a cooking class while others visited the castle in town and one of the villages across the lake. We were whisked away to a tiny nearby hamlet where the chef, Moreno, prepares all of the dishes himself that he serves for dinner at his restaurant. He started the morning out by feeding us cappuccino and homemade cake to enjoy while he began showing us how to roll out and form pasta for cheese tortellini and marinara from scratch. Next up, was a decadent potatoes gruyere with ham slices, all of which we got to sample. The finalé was the creamiest mushroom risotto, local red wine, and don’t forget the limoncello for dessert. Yum!

Late that afternoon, we visited the Botanic garden in Varenna, which is spectacular with its colorful tropical plantings, elaborate villa, sculptures and fountains, and fantastic views along the lake. What a great day!

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know.

Spaces are filling up quickly, so don’t wait!

Athens and Santorini, Greece – May 8-16, 2015

The French Riviera – June 18-26, 2015

Provence, France – June 25-July 3, 2015

Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 4-12, 2015

Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 11-19, 2015

For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Day 6, Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

December 12, 2014

Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 6, afternoon location: Villa Babianello

In the afternoon, we visited the impressive Villa Babianello, made famous in both the James Bond and Star Wars films. It lives up to its reputation, perched atop lush formal gardens with a gorgeous scenic overlook of the water. After such beautiful views of the lake that day, we treated ourselves to an elegant dinner with another breathtaking panorama of Lake Como below. Dinner was amazing with red pepper prawn soup, scallops in pumpkin risotto, caprese salad and delicious wine to wash it down!

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know.

Spaces are filling up quickly, so don’t wait!

Athens and Santorini, Greece – May 8-16, 2015

The French Riviera – June 18-26, 2015

Provence, France – June 25-July 3, 2015

Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 4-12, 2015

Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 11-19, 2015

For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

To see more of my palette knife contemporary landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.