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

March 16, 2023

 

 

“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.

 

 

Or, E-mail Niki Gulley for more details.
 
 
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https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

New “Gondola Sunrise II” by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

March 15, 2023
 
“Gondola Sunrise II,” Venice ©2023 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel
 
Venice Carnivalé Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams – Day 3
 

For this painting, I actually got up long before sunrise! A feat in itself! But, during Carnival in Venice it gets so crowded that I love the mornings before the crowds descend. This morning, it was just me and about 100 costumes and photographers, which is quite quiet during the celebration. 

 
So, I set up my easel along the lagoon off of St. Mark’s Square while it was still dark but had some ambient light from the street lamps. I squeezed out my paints by memory and began sketching the scene. By that point, first light broke in the most inspiring, brilliant colors. It was beautiful and so worth the effort! Listening to the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore and gondolas riding their rhythm was truly magical. Only in Venice! 
 
Then, I painted as quickly as I could, and luckily was treated to another round of glorious color when the sun finally rose. I hope you, too, can enjoy the beauty of this enchanting city.
 

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

 

 

Or, E-mail Niki Gulley for more details.

 

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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/

Painting Venice Canals with Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

March 14, 2023

 

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.
 

***

 
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/

 

Capturing Sunset, Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

March 13, 2023

  

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

Day 1 – San Georgio Island

 
After we finished painting that morning, the photographers joined us for lunch when they were done shooting. We enjoyed a delicious pizza al fresco and afterwards the photographers kept shooting, the painters had some down time, and we reconnected late that afternoon to take the ferry across the canal to San Giorgio Island where a full masquerade of characters were gathered for sunset. My painters opted to just bring their sketchbooks and practice their quick drawing skills, capturing the costumed spectacle. That night we dined on delicious seafood pasta, fresh fish and a delicious local red wine. A great first day!

 

Scott Williams photograph of one of the costumes during Carnivalé.
 
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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.
 
 

Plein Air Painting in Venice with Niki Gulley

March 10, 2023

 

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

March 9, 2023

 

“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.

“Twilight,” Venice Pastel by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

March 8, 2023

 

“Twilight, Venice” by Niki Gulley 11″ x 14″ pastel
 

In anticipation of our upcoming painting/photography workshop that my husband and I are teaching in Venice, Italy this spring, I thought I’d put my excitement down on canvas. I can’t wait to get back to the beauty and magic of Venice. I love entering a different world and time when we visit. This piece is inspired by the glow cast from the sun setting beyond the lagoon. Most of the gondolas have returned from their romantic cruises and have been put up for the night. There is a calmness to the usually bustling waterway that I thoroughly enjoy this time of day. 

 
If interested in “Twilight, Venice,” e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.
 
Or, visit my website to see more of my contemporary impressionist paintings at NikiGulley.com.
 
For more information about our next painting/photography workshops in Italy and other European locations, go to ArtTreks.org.

Watching Sunset, Venice Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

March 7, 2023
Venice Art Trek
8″ x 12″ pastel by Niki Gulley
 

After we finished painting that morning, the photographers joined us for lunch when they were done shooting. We enjoyed a delicious pizza al fresco and afterwards the photographers kept shooting, the painters had some down time, and we reconnected late that afternoon to take the ferry across the canal to San Giorgio Island where a full masquerade of characters were gathered for sunset. We chose this quiet location looking back at Venice framed by the docked boats for our paintings. That night we dined on delicious seafood pasta, fresh fish and a delicious local red wine. A great first day!

Scott Williams photograph of one of the costumes during Carnivalé.

 

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.
 
 
 
 
Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops
Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!
 

“Gondola Ride” Oil Painting by Palette Knife Painter Niki Gulley

March 6, 2023

 

“Gondola Ride,” Venice ©2019 Niki Gulley

SOLD • 12″ x 9″ oil painting

Just Sold! I painted this piece on location during our Art Trek we taught in Venice while their infamous Carnival celebration was taking place. Since St. Mark’s Square can get overrun with tourists, we chose to set up our easels along a side street to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the city. I love the magical light that comes flooding in through the canals and is so distinctive of Venice. The stone bridge with its iron railing sets a perfect backdrop to the gondolier rowing his enchanted passengers through the romantic back canals.

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

 

 

Or, E-mail Niki Gulley for more details.

 

***
 
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!
 
 
Iceland – Aug. 2020
 
Foodie Trek – Tuscany – Oct. 2020
Paris – May 2021
Portugal – Sept. 2021

 

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

“Dining al Fresco” Venice pastel by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

March 3, 2023

 
Dining al Fresco, Venice – 12″X18″ Pastel by Niki Gulley
 

A warm evening breeze stirs, caressing your face as you dine. The sights and sounds of Venice mingle before your eyes, an unfolding opera of color and light. A couple strolls, enamored with the beauty that envelopes them, drawn into the Italian night, hand in hand. The love between them is nearly palpable, and as they pass you by, you feel it radiate off of them, just as the light spreads itself against the encroaching night.

The soft touch of the pastels help to capture the calm evening. Venice is filled with the romance and this scene really resonated with me. The warm palette gives one a feeling of calm, a comforting touch, as if by a summer breeze. 
 
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If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Europe, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our Plein Air Painting and Photography Art Treks. We’d love to have you along! E-mail Niki Gulley for more information or go to arttreks.org for more details.
 
For more information on “Dining al Fresco,” please e-mail Niki Gulley nikigulley@sbcglobal.net.
 
Or, visit NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings.