Month: June 2012

Paris Art Trek Finalé with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

June 29, 2012
“Dancing on Water,” Monet’s Gardens, France ©2012 Niki Gulley
36″ x 60″ textured oil painting
Day 7 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
On the last day of our Plein-Air Painting and Photography Workshop in Paris, we gathered to share our work from the week, sample some French wine, and enjoy each other’s camaraderie. It’s always so much fun to see what the other painters and photographers have captured during the week, and how everyone has such a different perspective, even if the subject is the same.

The last two nights we dined at our b and b, which turned out to be two of the best meals of the trip, a hard feat to top the food we had in Paris! Appetizers consisted of an asparagus soup and a plate of scallops with browned butter, both so good we had them two nights in a row. The main courses were a cod dish with vegetables and a very good lamb dish with potatoes. I know that that isn’t up to my usual description, but that’s because the dishes on either side caused my mind to block out everything else. The desserts however, were a thing of beauty. Our first night was a pistachio waffle, with strawberries, homemade whipped cream, lime sorbet and orange compote. The second night, we were served chocolate 5 ways: a chocolate mousse with chocolate crumbles, a very dark chocolate Fondente ice cream, a light chocolate pudding, a chocolate cigar and a chocolate fudge brownie that would just bring you to your knees. It was one of those “When Harry Met Sally” moments!

Again, a perfect ending to a wonderful trip – leaving with satiated appetites, fond memories, new found friendships and a shared love for Paris!

***
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!

***Or, if you would like to see “Dancing on Water” and more of my contemporary impressionistic landscapes, and you are in the Chicago area this weekend, please stop by my booth at the Gold Coast Art Fair in Grant Park.

Gold Coast ARt Fair

June 30 & July 1 • 10am – 6pm
Chicago, IL • Grant Park at the corner of Monroe & Lake Shore Dr.

See amdurproductions.com/art-festivals/Gold_Coast_Art_Fair_at_Grant_Park.html for more info.

***

Last Day, Paris Art Trek with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

June 27, 2012
“Framed in Wisteria,” Giverny, France • 7” x 5″ oil painting by Niki Gulley
Day 7 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
The last few days of our Art Trek, we checked out of our hotel in Paris and headed to the peaceful countryside, near Giverny. The b&b we stayed at was straight out of a storybook, and the grounds themselves looked like an impressionist painting. We loved the setting so much, we stayed right there and painted outside our rooms the last day.
Our b&b outside of Giverny.

One of our students painting on the last day of our Paris Art Trek, on the grounds of our b&b.

***
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!

***Or, if you would like to see this painting or more my plein air paintings and you are in the Chicago area this weekend, please stop by my booth at the Gold Coast Art Fair in Grant Park.

Gold Coast ARt Fair

June 30 & July 1 • 10am – 6pm
Chicago, IL • Grant Park at the corner of Monroe & Lake Shore Dr.

See amdurproductions.com/art-festivals/Gold_Coast_Art_Fair_at_Grant_Park.html for more info.

***

Plein-Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley – Day 6, Monet’s Gardens

June 25, 2012
Monet’s Gardens, Giverny, France • 9” x 12″ oil painting by Niki Gulley
Day 6 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Between loving the picturesque setting and the excitement of painting in Monet’s footsteps, we were inspired to keep creating. With the sun almost overhead but softly filtered by the trees, the colors and reflections on the pond looked completely different than in the early hours, just as Monet’s canvases varied so much depending on the time of day and month he painted. We adjusted our colors accordingly and increased our contrast from the noon sun, and then relished in the moment. What a perfect day!
Monet’s Gardens, Giverny, France

***
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!

***Or, if you would like to see this painting or more my plein air paintings and you are in the Chicago area this weekend, please stop by my booth at the Gold Coast Art Fair in Grant Park.Gold Coast ARt Fair

June 30 & July 1 • 10am – 6pm
Chicago, IL • Grant Park at the corner of Monroe & Lake Shore Dr.

See amdurproductions.com/art-festivals/Gold_Coast_Art_Fair_at_Grant_Park.html for more info.

***

Art Trek Paris – Day 6, Monet’s Gardens

June 22, 2012
Monet’s Gardens, Giverny, France • 9” x 12″ oil painting by Niki Gulley
Day 6 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
On Day 6, we woke up early to get to Monet’s Gardens in Giverny to capture the early morning light. The gardens were amazing – preserved just like in his paintings! We reached the far side of his beautiful pond and quickly painted the water lilies and famous bridge, putting our contemporary spin on impressionism.
***
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!
***
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Plein-Air Painting at Versailles with Niki Gulley

June 20, 2012
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.
***
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!
***
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams – Day 5

June 18, 2012
5″ x 7″ pastel by Niki Gulley
Day 5 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Day 5, we took everyone to the Palace of Versailles, 30 minutes outside of Paris. Decadent and opulent doesn’t begin to describe the castle and grounds where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI bankrupted the country. It is really something to see! After touring the chateau, we staked out a quiet back corner of the gardens away from the tourist masses, and got out our sketchpads. This massive wisteria, the scale of a medium-szed tree caught our eye, and we had to capture its beautiful violet dripping blooms.
Part of our group in front of the Palace of Versailles.

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

Day 3 & 4 – Paris Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshop w/ Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

June 15, 2012
“A Day in Paris V” ©2012 Niki Gulley • 7″ x 5″ oil painting
Day 3 and 4 – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
On day 3 and 4 of our Paris Art Trek, we concentrated more on site seeing, museum hopping, and of course, eating, with just a little painting and shooting in between. We saw everything from the Mona Lisa at the Louvres to an amazing collection of Monet’s at the Marmottan Museum, from Rodin’s sculpture garden to the incredible impressionist exhibit at the Musee d’Orsay. Some of our group toured the Champ Elysees while others visited the catacombs and Napolean’s Tomb. Stopping for an espresso  at a corner café, we relaxed and people watched in Paris style. We topped off the day with an amazing dinner where every morsel was lovingly prepared and each course is a work of art on the plate, accompanied by delicious French wine, discussing our adventures from the day.

 

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

Art Trek Paris w/ Niki Gulley & Scott Williams – Day 2, Notre Dame

June 13, 2012
Notre Dame, Rose Window • 10″ x 8″ oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 2, Afternoon – Art Trek Paris with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
After grabbing a delicious homemade crepé lunch, we staked out this quiet, picturesque view of Notre Dame along the Siene. Some painters chose to include the whole scene with river, church and boats, while myself and a couple of others selected this tighter view on just the intricate stained glass of the rose window. After painting the whites and grays of the cathedral in the morning light, I decided to have a little fun with the colors in the afternoon, after all we were in the home of French Impressionism.
Working with complimentary purples and oranges created vibrant highlights, cool shadows and contrasting colors that cause your eye to dance across the canvas.
One of our painters in front of Notre Dame.
Photo of two of us painting at Notre Dame taken by one of our budding photographers along on the trip. Pretty creative!

 

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

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

June 11, 2012
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 8×10 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!
***
To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.

Day 1 – Paris Art Trek w/ Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

June 8, 2012
Eiffel Tower • 10″ x 8″ oil painting by Niki Gulley • SOLD

Day 1 – Art Trek Paris
For the first day of our painting & photography workshop in Paris, we had to visit the Eiffel Tower. After enjoying the panorama view from the tallest building in Europe, we grabbed some lunch at a Parisian café and nourished for the afternoon, set up our easels at this lovely park to paint the Eiffel Tower.
Part of our group at the Eiffel Tower.

While the morning was slightly chilly and overcast, the clouds parted and sun came out just in time to paint and shoot. All of our students agreed, this was the perfect spot to paint the Paris landmark – a little shade, a gentle path leading you to the subject, lush greenery and delicate pink, purple petals from the blooming lilac-like trees, tucked away from the crowds.
Some of our painters with their travel easels, painting the Eiffel Tower.
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!
***
To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please go to my website at NikiGulley.com.