Niki Gulley

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Painting in Venice with Painting Teacher Niki Gulley

5" x 7" textured oil painting on panel

On the second day of our Venice Art Trek, we headed to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known as a fishing community (and for the homemade lace that they make there), and to help the fisherman find their houses while coming back from sea, they painted their homes every color of the rainbow. With the picturesque canals and so many great colored buildings to choose from, it's hard to pick a single subject matter! We were drawn to this quiet location, however, and the vibrant yellow stucco wall with that morning's laundry being hung out to dry and the bicycle waiting for a ride. Today I chose to work with thick oil paint and palette knife to capture the rough surface of the walls, resulting in a final painting which is loaded with texture and color.

www.NikiGulley.com

E-mail - Niki Gulley

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Tuscany is always our most popular Foodie Trek as the food, wine, people, scenery and history are unparalleled. And, you're in luck if you've always wanted to go! We've had two spots open up for our trip this fall and there are a couple of spots still open for 2026. Please let us know if you would like to join us!

Tuscany Foodie Trek
2 Spots Left!

https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Switzerland Art Trek
August 2026

Just A Few Spots left!

Tuscany Foodie Trek
Sept. 2027

Registration Now Open

If you have any questions or would like to register, please contact Scott at photoguy@blind-squirrel.org or 214-289-8512.

Visit ArtTreks.org for more details on all of our trips.

Check out our review page on TripAdvisor and feel free to leave one of your own.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Visiting Siena, Italy - Tuscany Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

7" x 5" oil painting on panel

Day 4: TUSCANY ART TREK - Siena

Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

On the fourth day of our Tuscany Art Trek, we visited the Medieval hill town of Siena, with its incredible marble Duomo, great people-watching plaza, and interesting alleyways radiating out from the campo with something new to discover around every turn. While some of our group shopped, some photographed and others relaxed on the square, I set up in one of the quiet cobble streets to capture the textures of these ancient walls and mood of this unique city. For dinner that night, we treated ourselves to a delicious home-made Italian meal of pastas, truffles, pecorino cheese and some amazing red wine!

That night we had a Tuscan chef prepare us an amazing 7 course meal at the villa - Buon Appetito!

NikiGulley.com

E-mail Niki Gulley

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Tuscany Foodie Trek 2026
September 26 - October 3, 2026
Only 2 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy
October 4-11, 2026
https://www.arttreks.org/cinque-terre-2026/

If you have any questions or would like to register, please contact Scott at photoguy@blind-squirrel.org or 214-289-8512.

Visit ArtTreks.org for more details on all of our trips.

Check out our review page on TripAdvisor and feel free to leave one of your own.

Monday, July 27, 2026

New "Playtime" Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

14" x 11" textured acrylic painting on canvas

Filled with whimsy and movement, I hope "Playtime" captures the memories of swinging from sturdy branches on a lazy summer day. Using staccato strokes, adds to the energy of the moment while fun pops of color build excitement. Not a care in the world, I hope you can feel the joy as you fly high and soar on a dream.

To view more of my palette knife impressionist landscape paintings, check out nikigulley.com.

Or, e-mail me at Niki Gulley for more information.

Friday, July 24, 2026

"Meandering Meadow" Painting Bursting with Colorful Wildflowers by Niki Gulley

SOLD • 16" x 20" textured acrylic painting on canvas

Just sold! I'm having so much fun painting in Asheville's certified pollinator habitat - surrounded by actual wildflowers while painting wildflowers! The purple spires you see dancing in the foreground are the real deal, keeping me company while I work.

This piece is all about capturing that feeling of wandering through a summer meadow where every color of the rainbow seems to be blooming at once. My palette knife allows me to build up those chunky, textured strokes that make the flowers feel dimensional and alive. I love how the painting evolves as I work - sometimes a stroke of yellow becomes a sunflower, sometimes purple becomes a spike of salvia.

For details on more of wildflower or North Carolina paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

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

Thursday, July 23, 2026

"Cypress Serenade" Art from the Tuscan Countryside by Niki Gulley

9" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

I painted "Cypress Serenade" on location in Tuscany. I've always been attracted to this lone grouping of cypress trees and on this day the clouds in the sky were so fascinating. Hugging so close to the ground, soft and voluminous, acting as the perfect backdrop behind the cypress grove, I had to capture their drama before they disappeared. Wildflowers blooming in the foreground set the stage and I decided to have fun by repeating those colors throughout the scene, adding to the excitement and energy of the moment.

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Iceland Art Trek
August 2026
FULL

Tuscany Foodie Trek
Sept. 2026
Only 4 Spaces Left!

Switzerland Art Trek
August 2026

Just A Few Spots left!

Tuscany Foodie Trek
Sept. 2027

Registration Now Open

If you'd like to join us on one of upcoming Art Treks or Foodie Treks, please let us know.

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

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Please check out my website at NikiGulley.com, NikiGulley.com to see more of my impressionistic palette knife paintings.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on her contemporary Italy and European paintings.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

New Van Gogh Inspired Sunflower Painting by Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

24" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas

I had so much fun painting these colorful flowers from our deck last week, that creating just one canvas wasn't enough! Filled with so much uplifting color and cheer, the blooms led my palette knife to joyfully skip across the canvas capturing their sunshine. Surprising pops of color peek through so every time you gaze into this one, you discover something new. Set against the gorgeous mountain backdrop, dramatic clouds dance overhead and hopefully all of your cares drift away!

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E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my sunflower and wildflower fields paintings.

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

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley Paints New Sunflower Series

24" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas

The past few weeks have been absolutely gorgeous for painting outside and revel in the cool mountain air. Our flowers on the deck are so colorful and uplifting that I had to share that joy with you. Unfortunately, my green thumb skills need a little work as my sunflower seeds have not sprouted. But, fortunately I have a vivid imagination and can paint them exactly as I wished they’d bloomed.

There is one thing I did leave out of the scene, though. As I was nearing the end of the painting, I had an unexpected visitor in our yard. Thank goodness I was on the upper deck, but still, this large papa bear was only about 20 feet away – yikes! The hazards of plein-air painting.

Click here to see the video of him: https://www.facebook.com/ScottWilliamsPhotography/posts/pfbid0XSQpDaomcPxhtR6pTn5m5VfkSpq619CstwwVXd19xRrmgicinwW8TqqLtYrEFCQ8l.

Despite a moment of heart failure there, I'm so happy with how these cheerful flowers turned out. May they bring some much needed happiness and sunshine to your day!

To see a video of the finished painting, the inspiration behind it and a close up on the texture detail, check out. https://www.instagram.com/p/DaDj94ZCYuv/.

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