New Orleans Garden District Painting by Texas Artist Niki Gulley

"Oak Beauties," New Orleans  ©2015 Niki Gulley

12" x 9" palette knife oil painting

On our plein air painting and photography workshop my husband and I taught in New Orleans this fall, we rode the trolley to the Garden District and set out to capture the beautiful architecture so distinctive of the area. I was attracted to this grand pink house, and in particular I loved the huge old oak tree framing it. The dappled light hitting the trunk was so striking that I decided to accentuate that in my painting with a multitude of colors and values while making the background soft to keep the composition from becoming too cluttered. The sheer size and age of the trees in New Orleans is incredible, which I set out to show juxtaposing the massive oak against the smaller two-story homes in the distance. Created with palette knife and a lot of oil paint, this canvas is loaded with texture and uplifting colors so that you feel the joy and energy of hanging out in New Orleans.

"Oak Beauties" along with several of my new palette knife paintings will be featured in my One Woman Show, hosted at the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. If interested in more information on pricing or purchasing this palette knife New Orleans painting, please contact The Good Art Company.

The Good Art Company Gallery

Niki Gulley - One Woman Show

Opening Reception / Meet the Artist - April 3rd, 5pm - 9pm

Show continuing through April

218 West Main St.

Fredericksburg, TX

goodartcompany.com/gac/

For more information on upcoming Plein-Air Painting and Photography Art Treks workshops, please visit http://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

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

E-mail - Niki Gulley

Painting Jackson Square with Niki Gulley, New Orleans Art Trek 2014

SOLD •  5" x 7" palette knife oil painting  ©2014 Niki Gulley

New Orleans Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 2: Jackson Square

On the second day of our New Orleans Art Trek, we set up our easels near Jackson Square to capture the architecture and energy of the city while the photographers went on to visit the downtown streets and infamous cemeteries. Some of my painters chose to record the whole street scene, while others focused in on interesting architectural details. I liked this tangled oak tree branch framing the coral wrought iron French Revival building behind it. Again, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! On the way to our second painting location, we fueled up on Po Boy sandwiches and refreshments.

***

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

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

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

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

New Orleans Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

  7" x 5" palette knife oil painting  ©2014 Niki Gulley

New Orleans Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 1: Fabourg Marigny

Later that afternoon, the light had changed so much on our morning subjects, that some of us had to switch gears and look for a different idea. I loved this tangled oak tree and with the golden light coming on, I set to capturing its vibrant colors before the glow was gone. That evening we went out for a delicious Creole dinner of oysters, jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and other New Orleans favorites while swapping stories from the day and getting to know each other better.

***

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

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

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

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

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

"Unveiling Sunshine," Lake Como ©2014 Niki Gulley • 10" x 8" oil painting

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 http://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

"Villa with a View" ©2014 Niki Gulley • 12" x 9" oil painting

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 http://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

"Villa with a View" ©2014 Niki Gulley • 12" x 9" oil painting

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 http://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

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

Visiting Bellagio with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

"Bellagio Beauty" ©2014 Niki Gulley • 8" x 10" Textured oil painting

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

Day 6, morning location: Bellagio

The next morning we awoke rested and raring to go, so we boarded a ferry that would first take us to Bellagio. The photographers and tourists spent most of their morning exploring town and the botanic garden, shopping and shooting, while we set up our easels in the lush public gardens nearby. The morning was a little overcast so we chose to focus on the vibrant foliage and plantings rather than the view of the harbor, so that our paintings would be full of color!

***

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 http://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 4, Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

"Villa with a View" ©2014 Niki Gulley • 10" x 8" Textured oil painting

Day 4, Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On our last day in the Cinque Terre, we visited the final Cinque Terre town of Manarola. Opting to leave our paint gear and just be tourists for the morning, we joined the photographers in exploring the town and grabbing a light lunch.

"Crescendo," Manarola ©2014 Scott Williams • photograph

That afternoon we opted to paint this picturesque Italian courtyard, keeping our composition simple for a quick, fun and colorful study. That evening we gathered for another delicious dinner!

***

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 http://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

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

Visiting Vernazza, Italy with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

"Golden View," Vernazza ©2014 Niki Gulley • 10" x 8" Textured oil painting

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

Day 2, Afternoon Location: Vernazza

When we arrived in Vernazza, the photographers and tourists took off exploring the town and scenic overlooks above while the painters set up their easels near the harbor to capture the beautiful golden late afternoon light. Right after sunset, Scott took the photographers to shoot the dreamy blue light and glow of the city colors and we met up for a delicious dinner of locally caught fish, pastas and regional wine. Full and happy, we rode the train back to Monterosso and crashed that evening after a fun-filled day.

"Safe Harbor," Vernazza ©2014 Scott Williams • photograph 

***

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 http://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 2, Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

"Painted Houses," Riomaggiore ©2014 Niki Gulley • 9" x 12" Textured oil painting

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

Day 2, Morning Location: Riomaggiore

After a good night's rest, we took the train that connects the five cities along the Italian coast to the southern most town of Riomaggiore. This morning the temperature was perfect, but we had more cloud cover with only occasional breaks of sunshine. Our painters set up our easels to capture this beautiful view of the colorful town and their ocean overlook while the photographers and tourists checked out the town and surroundings. 

When we had finished painting and exploring and eaten a delicious seafood lunch, we caught the scenic boat ride back to Vernazza, enjoying the ocean view of each town and its colorful architecture perched along the coast way. 

***

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 http://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

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

"Villa with a View" ©2014 Niki Gulley • 10" x 8" Textured oil painting

Day 7, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the last day of our Tuscany Art Trek, the morning started out a little drizzly so some of us stayed and painted from inside the villa while others went into town to explore, shop and photograph. The architecture of the farmhouse is so interesting with its 6 inch wood beams, solid wood shutters, stuccoed walls, stone exterior and even the radiator below the window that I wanted to capture some of its charm with part of our view out the window. Luckily for a few minutes the sun tried peeking through the clouds, so I tried to capture some of that warmth in my painting.

While usually in the 70s and 80s when we lead the trips to Tuscany, for some reason this year it got really chilly that afternoon. So turning rain into sunshine, we lit a fire and relaxed with new friends, sharing stories, paintings and photographs from the trip. We capped the night off with an amazing dinner and drifted off to sleep, full, happy and at peace.

***

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 http://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 5, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Pienza ©2014 Niki Gulley • 6" x 12" textured oil painting • SOLD

Day 5, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After a busy day in Siena, we took it easy the next day staying closer to home base. While some painted the beautiful view of Pienza from our villa in the morning, the photographers and sightseers visited more of the nearby hill towns. We relaxed that afternoon and went for a delicious meal in town that night. A rejuvenating 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 http://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 3, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

"Cypress Shadows," Tuscany ©2014 Niki Gulley • 9" x 12" textured oil painting

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

On the third day of our Tuscany Art Trek, several of us attended a cooking class in Montepulciano from a Michelin-rated chef. We made hand-rolled pasta with a flavor-packed tomato sauce, osso buco, cheese soufflés and a delicious creamy tiramisu. After we were finished cooking, we sat down to sample our creations and wash it down with a little red wine. What an amazing experience! 

Later that afternoon, some of our group went onto see the formal Italian garden at La Foce while  some of us stayed and painted at the villa again. The late afternoon light was so beautiful how it cast its golden glow on the landscape and stone farmhouse, that we had to capture it before it was gone. Long deep shadows from the surrounding cypress trees draw your eye into the composition and set the peaceful mood of the evening.

***

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

The registration deadline of Nov. 15th for most trips is quickly approaching, 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 http://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.

***

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

Or if interested in purchasing "Cypress Shadows," please contact the Good Art Company Gallery, goodartcompany.com/gac/.

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