Visiting Peña Palace with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams Art Treks

    

 Peña Palace ©2021 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 8″ x 6″ textured oil painting on panel
 
Portugal Art Trek: 
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
 
Day 3 – Sintra: Peña Palace

 

Since Sintra is filled with so many beautiful palaces and castles, one day is not enough time to absorb it all, so we returned the next day to continue exploring everything it has to offer. First stop was its star attraction, Peña Palace, which dazzles with bright colors and fairytale design. While our group explored the interior and its surroundings, I set up my easel to paint its dramatic, red and yellow facade.
 
 
Next up on our itinerary we visited our last Sintra attraction, the National Palace, and then headed back to Cascais for a little downtime at our hotel pool and another delicious dinner. 
 
To see more of my impressionistic plein air landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
 
 

 

 

***
 
If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks, including one to Alsace, France next August or on our Foodie Trek to Tuscany, please let us know. 
 
 
 
Alsace, France – Aug. 2022
Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2022 (wait list only) / Oct. 2023
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 
 
 

Art Treks Paints and Photographs Sintra, Portugal

    

 Monseratte ©2021 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 6″ x 8″ textured oil painting on panel
 
Portugal Art Trek: 
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
 
Day 2 – Afternoon Location – Sintra: Monseratte
 
That afternoon we headed to another amazing palace, Monserrate.  It is a visually striking blend of Arabic, gothic and Indian influences, and once again is surrounded by beautiful, lush, exotic vegetation. While our photographers and tourists explored the palace’s interior, I set up outside to capture its distinct architecture.
 
 
After finishing our tour in Sintra, we headed back to Cascais for a little downtime and an amazing dinner. The perfect ending to an adventure filled day!
 
 
To see more of my impressionistic plein air landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
 
 

 

 

***
 
If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks, including one to Alsace, France next August or on our Foodie Trek to Tuscany, please let us know. 
 
 
 
Alsace, France – Aug. 2022
Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2022 (wait list only) / Oct. 2023
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 
 

Painting Castles in Portugal with Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

    

 La Quinta de Regaleira ©2021 Niki Gulley
6″ x 8″ textured oil painting on panel
 
Portugal Art Trek: 
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
 
Day 2 – Sintra: La Quinta de Regaleira
 
On our first full day of our Portugal Art Trek, we hit the ground running by visiting the fairy tale town of Sintra filled with exotic gardens, palaces and castles. First stop was La Quinta de Regaleira, decorated in an ornate facade and surrounded by enchanting gardens filled with gothic turrets, carved gargoyles and hidden tunnels. I chose this view of the palace nestled into the lush forest around it, perched on a hill and soaring towards the heavens above. It is a truly magical setting! 
 

 

To see more of my impressionistic plein air landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
 
 
 
***
 
If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks, including one to Alsace, France next August or on our Foodie Trek to Tuscany, please let us know. 
 
 
 
Alsace, France – Aug. 2022
Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2022 (wait list only) / Oct. 2023
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.
 
 

Portugal Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

   

“Atlantic Coastline” ©2021 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured oil painting
 
Portugal Art Trek: 
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
 
Day 1 – Cascais

 

Once we finished researching our 2022 Art Trek to Alsace, France, we flew to Portugal to begin leading this summer’s Art Trek to our intrepid group. Our first afternoon was rather leisurely since most of our group was arriving from the United States and shaking off their jet lag. So once everyone checked into our oceanside hotel and took a short nap, we set out on a walking tour of our home base town, Cascais. The Atlantic Ocean hugs its coastline, and there is a great walking trail all along the city. Above, you can see how I wanted to capture the gorgeous rock formations and the beautiful colors in the ocean. 
 
After finishing taking in the beautiful scenery along the water, we wandered the maze of tiled streets throughout town, soaking in the architecture and energy, and finished the night with a delicious dinner of Portuguese tapas. A great way to start the trip!
 
View from our hotel
 
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
 
 

 

 

***
 
If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks, including one to Alsace, France next August or on our Foodie Trek to Tuscany, please let us know. 
 
 
 
Alsace, France – Aug. 2022
Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2022
 
For more information on upcoming Art Treks, please visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.