On our way back to Reykavik at the end of our Iceland journey, I had one small canvas left when we came across this beautiful patch of lupine blooming in front of this dramatic mountain. I’d really wanted to see a massive field of the blue buds while we were there, but whenever we would find the plants, the flowers had already bloomed and didn’t have much color left. So Scott pulled over long enough for me to capture these beauties, a perfect way to end the trip. Created with palette knife and oil paint, this piece is filled with joy, color and texture.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

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If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Across from the unique Kirkjufell mountain is the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. Mult-tiered water flows and cascades from one layer to the next into the pool below, creating a river that eventually flows out to sea. Since it was a rather grey evening, I decided to play with the colors to create a more uplifting, fantastical scene. Using juicy, thick, diagonal strokes creates energy and movement adding to the sense of rushing water. Created with palette knife and oil paint, this piece is loaded with color, texture and joy.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Next up on our Iceland trek, was you guessed it – another waterfall! We had to fit in at least one more before heading back to the concrete jungle of Dallas. These falls were really special, cascading almost perfectly vertical from the tallest mountain around. From high above, the rushing water cuts through rock and lush grasses as it winds its way down from the heavens above to the rushing rapids below. To capture the water’s enormous length and height, I chose a vertical composition. Working with energetic diagonal strokes and thick paint, I hope you can feel the rush of the rapids and the surge of energy being surrounded by nature.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Continuing our journey along the west coast of Iceland, I was taken by their simplistic architecture, often topped with bright red roofs to add a pop of color to the natural landscape. In the next several paintings, you’ll see I chose a different house or barn each day and set out to capture its shape, the colors and light hitting the structure, and the picturesque, idyllic, quiet scenery surrounding the building in all directions. Here is my last one, where we got up to capture sunrise. The setting had such a beautiful glow to it that I wanted to recreate that warmth in the foreground and sky contrasted against the cool distant mountains. Created with palette knife and oil paint, this piece is full of surprising pops of color, texture, energy and joy.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Continuing our journey along the west coast of Iceland, I was taken by their simplistic architecture, often topped with bright red roofs to add a pop of color to the natural landscape. In the next several paintings, you’ll see I chose a different house or barn each day and set out to capture its shape, the colors and light hitting the structure, and the picturesque, idyllic, quiet scenery surrounding the building in all directions. Here is my next one, another small 5” x 7” study where I came in close so you get a sense of scale for the size of the barn and the mountain behind it. My main focus for this painting was contrasting simplistic objects, repeating shapes and direction, texture and movement in my strokes.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Continuing our journey along the west coast of Iceland, I was taken by their simplistic architecture, often topped with bright red roofs to add a pop of color to the natural landscape. In the next several paintings, you’ll see I chose a different house or barn each day and set out to capture its shape, the colors and light hitting the structure, and the picturesque, idyllic, quiet scenery surrounding the building in all directions.
Here is my second painting, where I was drawn to the complimentary color palette of orange/gold grasses contrasted against a beautiful blue sky reflecting into the pond behind the barn. Playing off those colors in the distant mountains, I wanted this piece to be full of texture, joy and energy.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

The next day we visited Kirkjufell, the cone shaped “church” mountain and its waterfall on the north side of the peninsula, and the most photographed spot in Iceland. Truly unique in its appearance, this lush conical mass rises from the earth, towering over the flat terrain around it. Painted in late afternoon light so that the grasses and sky were glowing, I wanted to capture not only the unique, bizarreness of this “Church Mountain,” but also the peaceful river carving its way in front of it reaching out to the sea. Choosing a multi-colored palette adds to the joy and energy of this magical spot.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

After disappointing weather in the north, we continued our adventure around the country to the west, finishing our trip on the Snaefellnes Peninsula. My husband loves architecture so the first stop on our itinerary was to visit the famous Black Church. Being the only church made of black construction material on the island, its distinctive appearance stands out rising out of a relatively large, flat plateau. I wanted to capture not only its color and shape, but the dramatic clouds surrounding it. Working with palette knife and thick oil paint, this little piece is loaded with texture, color and movement.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

Today we continued our counterclockwise adventure around Iceland to arrive in the north, near the massive, impressive Godafoss waterfall. Unfortunately, our weather turned for the worse, and it was way too wet to paint the falls. However, just over the mountain, 20 minutes away at our b and b, the skies were fairly clear with even occasional glimpses of sunshine. I loved these birch trees all over their property, leading you down to the gorgeous view of the mountains in the distance. Sprinkled with summer wildflowers, I set out to capture the light casting long shadows from the trunks and causing the grasses to glow in the foreground, leading to a feeling of joy and serenity in this beautiful spot.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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

After enjoying the gentle beauty in Southern Iceland, we worked our way around the country counterclockwise and visited the frozen lagoons and icebergs in the east next. Uniquely shaped large ice chunks float along gorgeous turquoise waters as they drift out to sea. Each one has a distinct shape and color that make them fascinating to watch. This afternoon, I set out to capture this rather interesting square ice piece with aqua blue diagonal ridges running through it. I pulled in fairly tightly so you could focus on its design and then I painted in a glimpse of the mountain behind it to give you a sense of scale. Meanwhile, the water below becomes slightly blurry as the ice chunks slowly drift by and we are caught up in the mesmerizing moment.

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

 

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my Iceland painting series.

 

***

 

If you’re interested in joining us on one of upcoming Art Treks, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

 

 

Iceland – Sept. 2020

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Oct. 2020

 

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