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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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

Arriving in Lake Como, Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Varenna ©2014 Niki Gulley • 9″ x 12″ Textured oil painting
Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Day 5: Arriving in Varenna on Lake Como

Next up on our Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek, we drove to the peaceful town of Varenna at the northern end of Lake Como. Our hotel has the most amazing views of the lake and the colorful town below. It’s my idea of paradise!

***
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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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

Day 3, Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

“Morning Overlook,” Monterosso ©2014 Niki Gulley • 9″ x 12″ oil painting
Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Day 3: Monterosso and Cornelia

After a busy day in Riomaggiore the day before, our painters stayed closer to home and painted this beautiful scenic overlook of the town of Monterosso. The photographers and tourists spent some time exploring our town and then took the train to Cornelia, where they shot and shopped in the village perched highest of all the Cinque Terre towns.

Later that afternoon, we reconvened and stopped by a local winery to sample their whites, reds, limoncino and regional delicious dessert wine, Sciacchetrá.
***
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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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

Day 1, Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

“Table for Two” ©2014 Niki Gulley • 12″ x 9″ oil painting
Cinque Terre and Lake Como Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams
Day 1: Monterosso / the 5 Village Hike
We were greeted in Cinque Terre with gorgeous sunny weather, so the photographers and tourists headed out on our first morning on the 5 mile scenic hike high above, linking the five cities of the Cinque Terre, taking in breathtaking scenery along the way. With our paint gear, we opted to stay in Monterosso and capture this beautiful quiet courtyard, with its soft dappled light and lovely plantings.
That evening we connected with the hikers and enjoyed a delicious dinner of fresh caught seafood, local pesto and pasta, and tasty Italian wine. A great end to a perfect first 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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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

A Day in Florence with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams, Tuscany Art Trek 2014

“Evening Stroll,” Florence ©2014 Niki Gulley • 25″ x 19″ pastel
Day 6, Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the next day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we hit the ground running by spending a full day in Florence. Visiting the Uffizi and Academy Museums with their incredible collections of Renaissance art, the impressive marble Duomo and famous Bronze Baptistry doors, wandering the cobble stone streets and admiring the stone architecture, fountains and sculptures, and allowing extra time for shopping.

Florence ©2014 Scott Williams photograph
We ended the day with you guessed it – another delicious meal! Then we wandered back through the romantic golden-lit streets to see the beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno at night. 
***
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 https://www.nikigulley.com/artreks.
***

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