tuscany palette knife painting

Tuscany Foodie Trek with Scott Williams and Niki Gulley

November 16, 2022

Day 1, Tuscany Foodie Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the first day of our Tuscany Foodie Trek, we picked everyone up from the Rome airport and drove them to our new abode for the next week, nestled amongst the rolling Tuscan hills. The villa is beautiful and the view so spectacular that we just relax and soak in that gorgeous scenery the first day. Some people enjoyed the pool while others got settled in. That night we had a chef prepare a 7 course authentic family meal right at the villa, washed down with some vino Nobile and prosecco. A great way to kick off the trip!

And, above you can see my first painting from the Trek. This is the spectacular view from the breakfast table at our villa. It’s soooo beautiful! I love watching the light and shadows form on the farmer’s field and the gorgeous rosemary and flowers in bloom in the foreground just added so much joy and color to the scene.

For more details on my other Tuscany paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

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If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, or Venice, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

2023 Schedule

Venice – Carnivalé

Art Trek – Feb. 12-18

•

Tuscany

Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3

•

Provence

Art Trek – June 24- July 1

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

Visiting Siena Italy with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams on their Tuscany Foodie Trek Trek

November 15, 2022

5″ x 7″ oil painting on panel

Tuscany Foodie Trek – Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 2: Siena, Italy

During the Foodie Trek that my husband and I led in Tuscany, we headed to the Medieval hill town of Siena, with its incredible church, great people-watching plaza, and interesting alleyways radiating out from the Campo with something new to discover around every turn.

While most of our group toured inside the Duomo, I chose to set up my easel and capture it’s impressive facade. Beautiful pink, green, white and black marble are stacked in such intricate patterns, it’s impossible to capture on a 5″ x 7″ canvas but I was able to at least suggest some of those colors and its scale, while showing the energy around it with people bustling in every direction.

That evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner with pasta doing the backstroke in truffles and pecorino cream while sharing our experiences. What a fantastic day!

For more details on my other Tuscany paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

Or, check out my website at nikigulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, or Venice, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

2023 Schedule

Venice – Carnivalé

Art Trek – Feb. 12-18

•

Tuscany

Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3

•

Provence

Art Trek – June 24- July 1

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

“Olive Grove” from Tuscany by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

August 25, 2022

10″ x 20″ textured oil painting

During our Tuscany Foodie Trek, we headed to the wine town of Montalcino to sample some of Italy’s world famous Brunello. On our way, we stopped at this beautiful convent with massive ancient olive trees growing on the grounds. In the distance, you can see the nearby hill town with vineyards and more olive groves lining the hillside. I wanted to capture the beauty of those regal olive trees on a beautiful sun-filled day in Tuscany.

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E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

Or, to purchase “Olive Grove,” click here: nikigulley.com/olive-grove/.

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

***

If you’d like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks, please let us know. We’ll be returning to Tuscany next May!

2023 Schedule

Venice – Carnivalé

Art Trek – Feb. 12-18

•

Tuscany

Foodie Trek – May 27 – June 3

•

Provence

Art Trek – June 24- July 1

•

New England

Art Trek – Oct. 10-15

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

“Perched on High” Palette Knife Painting from Tuscany by Niki Gulley

March 30, 2022

SOLD • 16″ x 20″ textured oil painting on canvas panel

Just Sold! Painted during our Tuscany Foodie Trek that we lead, I had been admiring this view from the back of our villa that we stay at over the course of the week. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking with 360 degree views of rolling hills and valleys, dotted by olive groves and quintessential Tuscan farmhouses. In particular, I was attracted to this stone house with its window awning casting a diagonal shadow across its facade, nestled in between cypress, and the rolling countryside as a backdrop behind it. Painted late in the day, the sun was beginning to set creating gorgeous colors in the sky and casting a golden glow on everything it kissed in the foreground. May you be transported to the magic of Tuscany!

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, or Venice, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

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

***

New “Olive Grove” from Tuscany by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

March 28, 2022

10″ x 20″ textured oil painting

****

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions.

Or, to purchase “Olive Grove,” click here: nikigulley.com/olive-grove/.

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

***

If you’re interested in joining us on one of our upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks to France, Tuscany, or Venice, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

http://www.ArtTreks.org.

***

“Serpentine Drive” in Tuscany by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

March 23, 2022

12″ x 16″ textured oil painting

Before we taught our Tuscany Foodie Trek, my husband and I spent a few days exploring the Tuscan countryside, painting and photographing the iconic scenery. “Serpentine Drive” illustrates one of the fascinating places we stopped with its mile long cypress lined drive. It felt like the trees snaked back and forth to infinity! Setting up my easel in late afternoon, I was able to capture the dramatic light as the setting sun illuminated the tops of the rolling hills and created long, dramatic shadows. Between the repetition of the vertical arbors and the horizontally flowing hills, the scene created a rhythmic harmony that added to the joy and serenity of the moment.

Close up texture detail:

To purchase “Serpentine Drive,” go to nikigulley.com/serpentine-drive/.

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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

***

We will be returning to Tuscany this October for a delicious Foodie Trek. For more information, visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.

If you’re interested in joining us, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

***

“Amarillo” Tuscan Garden Painting by Niki Gulley

March 17, 2022

SOLD • 12″ x 16″ textured oil painting on canvas panel

Just Sold! Inspired from a gorgeous garden in Tuscany, I was drawn to this colorful courtyard. Soft buttery hues of yellow glow and shimmer in the late day light as long purple shadows dance along the stucco wall. Breaking up the sunny expanse, a portal to the formal gardens invites you to venture into an arboreal fantasy world designed to inspire awe and delight your senses.

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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

***

We will be returning to Tuscany this October for a delicious Foodie Trek. For more information, visit http://www.ArtTreks.org.

If you’re interested in joining us, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

***

New “Villa View” Painting from Tuscany by Impressionist Niki Gulley

May 31, 2021

9″ x 12″ textured oil painting

While leading our Tuscany Foodie Trek, I set up my easel to capture this gorgeous view of the distant hills and farmhouse that we see from our breakfast table each morning. With a few clouds drifting by, the sun kept illuminating the foreground Rapeseed and making the hills glow gold and chartreuse. I liked the single farmhouse set against the distant mountains and the one lone cypress growing in the middle of all that yellow. What a perfect morning!

That evening for a delicious meal of melted pecorino and homemade rustic bread, pici (hand rolled pasta) with wild boar sauce or truffle ravioli for others, fresh organic vegetables and of course the local red wine to top it off!

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

Iceland – Aug. 2021

Portugal – Sept. 2021

Foodie Trek – Tuscany – Oct. 2022

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

****

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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

New “Amarillo” Tuscan Garden Painting by Niki Gulley

May 10, 2021

12″ x 16″ textured oil painting on canvas panel

Inspired from a gorgeous garden in Tuscany, I was drawn to this colorful courtyard. Soft buttery hues of yellow glow and shimmer in the late day light as long purple shadows dance along the stucco wall. Breaking up the sunny expanse, a portal to the formal gardens invites you to venture into an arboreal fantasy world designed to inspire awe and delight your senses.

***

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

Iceland – Aug. 2021

Portugal – Sept. 2021

Foodie Trek – Tuscany – Oct. 2022

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

****

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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

New Tuscany Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

May 7, 2021

12″ x 9″ textured oil painting by Niki Gulley

Day 3, afternoon location – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After we finished a delicious antipasto lunch of prosciuttos, local pecorino, and fresh fruits and vegetables, we headed into the hills for our afternoon painting location. Starting fairly late in the day, we timed it so that the light would be soft and golden as we were putting the finishing details on our paintings. For this painting, we focused in closer on one of the tuscan farmhouses, with just a suggestion of the peaks and valleys in the background. Between the quiet surroundings, the quintessential Tuscan vineyard behind us and the perfect weather conditions, this proved to be a very inspiring afternoon.

Painting the rolling hills in Tuscany. Photo courtesy of Ken Strange.

***

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

Iceland – Aug. 2021

Portugal – Sept. 2021

Foodie Trek – Tuscany – Oct. 2022

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

****

E-mail Niki Gulley with any questions about my palette knife travel paintings.

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