A Pause in Time, Venice by Niki Gulley wins award at PSSW Juried Show

“A Pause in Time” Venice, Italy ©2012 Niki Gulley

18” x 24” pastel

This piece won an award at the Southwest Pastel Society's 31st National Juried Show Exhibit. It will be on display at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, TX through Dec. 2nd

Mysterious, enchanted, dreamlike – Venice is a fairytale at night.

Evening has drawn its starry cloak over the city, the crowds and pigeons are gone and three women enjoy the evening at a café in Piazza San Marco.

This changeling city, this artist’s muse now is unhurried, relaxed and romantic

and this one perfect moment in time is held in artful pastels, satiated colors–rich velvet textures capture ebony/violet chairs that Peggy, Pollock or Cole Porter may have sat in,

paintings of angels from old Venice and three modern women of today complete this delicate balance in a point of time.

If you’d also like to experience the beauty, history and culture of Venice, join me and travel photographer, Scott Williams, for our Plein Air Painting and Photography Art Trek to Venice during Carnivalé, Feb. 2-9, 2013. We'd love to have you join us! E-mail Niki Gulley for more information or go to nikigulley.com/artreks for more details on Venice, Greece, or our Italy Art Treks.

NikiGulley.com

Niki Gulley at Cottonwood Art Festival this Weekend

"Lemon Tree" Tuscany ©2012 Niki Gulley

12" x 9" textured oil painting

Day 4 - Tuscany Art Trek

On Day 4 of our Tuscany painting and photography workshop, we decide to take it easy after a busy day in Siena the day before and paint again at the villa. It was a gorgeous morning with bright puffy clouds and soft golden sunlight hitting the back of our villa. So while we set up our easels just a few feet away from one another, each painter picked a different subject. From the highly textured stone farm house, to this lemon tree that was so lush and tall that I chose for my painting, to a random bed that was on the property, to the terra cotta steps and quintessential Tuscan architectural details, to the ancient well and delicate geraniums, each student's paintings turned out beautifully. After a peaceful morning of painting and photographing, we all reconvened on the patio of the villa for another delicious lunch of locally grown fruits, meats, cheeses and Vino Nobile.

If you'd like to see "Lemon Tree" and more of my travel plein-air paintings, please stop by my booth at the Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend, Oct. 6th and 7th, from 10am - 6pm. Visit cottonwoodartfestival.com for details.

Enjoying a delicious lunch at our villa, overlooking the surrounding rolling hills and distant Tuscan hill towns.

If you'd like to join us for next year's Art Trek to Venice in February, Greece in May, Tuscany in September or Cinque Terre / Lake Como in September, please visit NikiGulley.com/Artreks for more information. Workshops fill up quickly, so please let us know if you are interested. The early deadline and to receive a $500 savings for the Venice workshop is this Saturday!

If you have questions about the Art Treks workshops or are interested in purchasing any of my plein air paintings, please e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

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US Classes and Workshops - nikigulley.com/art-classes.

Travel Art Treks and Plein Air Workshops - nikigulley.com/artreks/

Available Paintings - NikiGulley.com

Plein-Air Painting at Versailles with Niki Gulley

Versailles, 5" x 7" pastel by Niki Gulley

Day 5, Afternoon - Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Thoroughly enjoying the sunshine and this peaceful hidden garden, we scoped out another view and tried to capture more of the sense of being in France in our next sketch. Manicured, organized, and adorned with statues and urns as focal points, this vantage communicated the idea of the French formal garden that I was looking for. At the end of the day, the French groundsman was kind enough to offer us pastel artists fixative for our drawings! That definitely breaks the misconception we have of the French not being friendly! A perfect ending to a perfect day.

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If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops to 

Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 - 18 (see nikigulley.com/art-classes) or

 Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 - Sept. 8 (visit nikigulley.com/artreks),

please e-mail Niki Gulley for more information. Registration deadlines are quickly approaching. We'd love to have you join us!

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To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Day 2 - Paris Art Trek with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

Notre Dame • 10" x 8" oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 2 - Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

On day 2 of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Paris, we led our group to Notre Dame Cathedral, known for its flying buttress and gargoyles overlooking the city. Since our group had never been before, they visited inside the church and hiked up to the clock tower for amazing views of the city, while I kept everyone's gear down below. I found a nice, quiet bench and had enough time to paint this view of the backside of the cathedral until everyone finished touring. The church is so complex, I focused in on this view of the nave with it's stained glass windows and the tops of a couple of the flying buttress to simplify the scene for an 8x10 canvas.

If you would like to come along on one of our upcoming Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops to 

Santa Fe, NM Aug. 12 - 18 (see nikigulley.com/art-classes) or

 Tuscany, Italy Aug. 31 - Sept. 8 (visit nikigulley.com/artreks),

please e-mail Niki Gulley for more information. Registration deadlines are quickly approaching. We'd love to have you join us!

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To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

"Autumn Harvest," Tuscany ©2011 Niki Gulley

pastel • 24" x 36"

I was inspired to paint this pastel of the beautiful rolling Tuscan hills and vineyards after our last Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop that my husband and I taught in Tuscany. Not only were the views amazing, but the food and the wine were absolutely delicious, too!

From our last Tuscany workshop: Part of group pictured while touring this 300 year old wine cellar, always run by the same family.

If you'd like to join us Sept. 2-10 for our next Tuscany Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. With limited space and a final registration deadline of April 9th quickly approaching, we suggest registering soon.

To see "Autumn Harvest" and more of my paintings in person, stop by my booth at Art City Austin, a premier juried outdoor art festival in Austin, TX, April 2-3. I'll be at booth #328 – on Cesar Chavez St. between San Antonio & Guadalupe Streets. Visit ArtAllianceAustin.org /art_city_austin.html for details.

NikiGulley.com

Tuscany Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

"Sienna Passageway" ©2011 Niki Gulley

SOLD • pastel • 10" x 8"

Just sold! I painted this pastel of Sienna, Italy on our last Plein Air Painting & Photography workshop that my husband and I taught in Tuscany. Sienna is such an interesting town, with the narrow cobble streets forming a labyrinth of passageways, the energy of the people in the central square, the ancient stone architecture and unusual adornments, and the picturesque views from the rambling hillsides. We just love it!

From our last Tuscany workshop, one of my students composing her painting of one of the picturesque Tuscan hill towns.

If you'd like to join us for our next Tuscany Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. With limited space and a final registration deadline of April 9th quickly approaching, let me know if you'd like to join us!

NikiGulley.com

3 Days Left for Tuscany Painting Workshop w/ Niki Gulley

"View from Montepulciano" Tuscany, Italy

SOLD • 14" x 11" pastel by Niki Gulley

Join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop in Tuscany, Sept. 2 -10. In addition to daily painting and/or photography excursions, there will also be day trips into the surrounding hill towns, along with winery tours, museum visits in Florence and plenty of gorgeous Italian countryside. The villa we stay at sits atop a hill with 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding area, it has all modern convinces, plus wifi and a swimming pool. This truly is La Dolce Vita, so don’t wait until the last minute to sign up.

The early deadline for a $400 discount is just a couple days away!

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13.

From our last Tuscany workshop, everyone enjoying a delicious Italian dinner al fresco after a fun-filled day of painting, photographing and sightseeing in the Tuscan countryside.

NikiGulley.com

ONE WEEK TO REGISTER for September's Tuscany Workshop with Niki Gulley

"Sienna Passageway" ©2011 Niki Gulley

pastel • 10" x 8"

From our last Plein Air Painting & Photography workshop in Tuscany. Sienna is such an interesting town, with the narrow cobble streets forming a labyrinth of passageways, the energy of the people in the central square, the ancient stone architecture and unusual adornments, and the picturesque views from the rambling hillsides. We just love it!

From our last Tuscany workshop, one of my students painting with pastels.

If you'd like to join us for our next Plein-Air Painting & Photography Workshop, Sept. 2 -10, e-mail Niki Gulley for more information, or visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13. The early deadline for a $400 discount is just a week away!

NikiGulley.com