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

August 11, 2017
“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.
***
 
 
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.

Visiting Siena, Italy – Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 9, 2017
7″ x 5″” oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 3:  TUSCANY ART TREK – Siena
Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
 
On the fourth day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we visited the Medieval hill town of Siena, with its incredible marble Duomo, great people-watching plaza, and interesting alleyways radiating out from the campo with something new to discover around every turn. While some of our group shopped, some photographed and others relaxed on the square, I set up in one of the quiet cobble streets to capture the textures of these ancient walls and mood of this unique city. For dinner that night, we treated ourselves to a delicious home-made Italian meal of pastas, truffles, pecorino cheese and some amazing red wine!
 
That night we had a Tuscan chef prepare us an amazing 7 course meal at the villa – Buon Appetito!
 
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 me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.
 
 

Painting and Photographing the Tuscan Countryside with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 7, 2017
12″ x 9″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley
 
Day 3, afternoon location – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
After we finished a delicious antipasto lunch of prosciuttos, local pecorino, and fresh fruits and vegetables, we headed into the hills for our afternoon painting location. Starting fairly late in the day, we timed it so that the light would be soft and golden as we were putting the finishing details on our paintings. For this painting, we focused in closer on one of the tuscan farmhouses, with just a suggestion of the peaks and valleys in the background. Between the quiet surroundings, the quintessential Tuscan vineyard behind us and the perfect weather conditions, this proved to be a very inspiring afternoon.
 
Painting the rolling hills in Tuscany. Photo courtesy of Ken Strange.
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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 & 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!
 
***
 
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.
 
 
 

Visiting Montepulciano and Tuscan Wineries with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

August 2, 2017
Montepulciano ©2017 Niki Gulley • 12″ x 9″ textured oil painting
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.
 
 
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 & 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
View from our Villa, Tuscany ©2017 Niki Gulley • 9″ x 12″ textured oil painting 
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.
 
 
 

New “Colorful Carousel” Palette Knife Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

July 28, 2017
“Colorful Carousel” ©2017 by Niki Gulley
SOLD • 36″ x 60″ original textured oil painting

Just Sold! I wanted this painting to be about the power and energy in nature to invigorate your spirit, so I chose to use warm vivid colors contrasted against cool underbrush while utilizing thick staccato strokes to add to that feeling. I placed the fall foliage in curving sweeping shapes to create a sense of movement, so that you can feel the wind gently rustling the leaves and causing them to dance on a beautiful fall day. 

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings online, visit NikiGulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information.

 
 

New Palette Knife Treetop Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

July 26, 2017
“What Dreams Are Made Of II” ©2017 by Niki Gulley
48″ x 36″ textured oil painting

In this painting, I wanted you to feel like a little kid again – laying on the ground and staring up into the treetops without a care in the world. I hope you experience the joy of being surrounded by nature and the beauty in this autumn kaleidoscope of colors.

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings online, visit NikiGulley.com.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my available palette knife birch and aspen tree paintings.

 
 

New “Soaring Dreams” Quadriptych Palette Knife Oil Painting by Niki Gulley

July 24, 2017
“Soaring Dreams” ©2017 Niki Gulley
 Four 36″ x 36″ canvases to form a 72″ x 72″ quadriptych • textured oil painting

In this painting, I wanted you to feel like a little kid again – laying on the ground and staring up into the treetops without a care in the world. I hope you experience the joy of being surrounded by nature and the beauty in this autumn kaleidoscope of colors.

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings online, visit NikiGulley.com.
 
E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my available palette knife birch and aspen tree paintings.

 
 

New “Through the Keyhole” Palette Knife Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

July 21, 2017
 
“Through the Keyhole” ©2017 Niki Gulley
20” x 16” textured oil painting
 
I love the twisting, textured limbs of old oak trees, and the way these two branches formed a keyhole view of the forest beyond was fascinating. Arching the branches upward suggests a touch of whimsey like climbing a tree when you’re a kid. Loaded with texture and surprising pops of color, I hope you, too, are transported to an enchanted place filled with hope and wonder.

If you have any questions about my palette knife paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.
 
To see more of Niki Gulley’s contemporary landscape paintings, visit NikiGulley.com.