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.
My husband and I rounded out our Iceland adventure by finishing in the capitol city of Reykjavik. While a lot more peaceful than Dallas, TX, it was quite a contrast to be in the bustling city after the vast peacefulness of the countryside. One of the things I liked about Reykjavik was how colorful the buildings were painted and how much that brightened up a grey day. Setting out to capture those fun colors and the energy of the city, I chose to paint this overview of town with main street leading your eye all the way down to the harbor. Created with palette knife and a lot of paint, I wanted to leave this painting fairly loose to add to that lively feeling and energetic vibe I felt in Reykjavik.
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.
Next up on our Iceland itinerary was visiting another waterfall. My husband and I love waterfalls, and it feels like Iceland has one even better than the next around every bend! So, needless to say we were pretty happy painting and photographing all of the falls the country had to offer. This cascade that we visited today is smaller in stature but no less impressive. It tumbles down over the rocky mountain and empties into a river carving its way through the lush, craggy valley below. I wanted to capture not only the falls, but the water’s path as it flows and snakes its way around the towering rock formations. Other than the midges that would swarm when the sun came out, it was a perfect afternoon!
To see more of my contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.