Showing posts with label happy art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happy art. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Wedding Rose Garden Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

 

"Ruby Blooms" ©2026 Niki Gulley
20" x 10" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

When we checked into our B and B in Tuscany this year, we were greeted by beautiful rose gardens surrounding the property. WOW! With such a plethora of gorgeous blooms, it was really hard to narrow down what to paint. Finally I landed on these crimson beauties with a peek at the Tuscan villa in the distance. I adore the cypress trees so indicative of Tuscany so I made sure to include them in the background. I also loved how this ancient twisted vine hugged the scene, creating an organic window of the view beyond. Filled with joy and color, I hope you are transported to this serene escape.


For details on more of my Tuscany or rose garden paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

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

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


***

 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!

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.

Monday, August 3, 2026

"Windows on the World" Oil Painting by Niki Gulley from Tuscany

 

"Windows on the World" ©2026 Niki Gulley
9" x 12" textured oil painting on panel

Inspired by Tuscany, you can almost imagine what the view must be like when you throw open the shutters and greet the morning as the scene unfolds below you! I loved the morning light raking across the building, casting long shadows and causing the textured stone and brick to tell its detailed history. And, there’s always one piece of laundry that refuses to dry as quickly as the others on the closthesline!

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.


__________________________________________________________________________________

 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!

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.

__________________________________________________________________________________

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

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


"Passageway," Siena ©2026 Niki Gulley
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!

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


E-mail Niki Gulley


•••
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 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.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

New Van Gogh Inspired Sunflower Painting by Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

 


"Sunny Setting II" ©2026 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!

•••

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.

 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley Paints New Sunflower Series


"Sunny Setting" ©2026 Niki Gulley
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.


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/.

•••

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.

 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


Wednesday, May 20, 2026

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


"Passageway," Siena ©2026 Niki Gulley
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!

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


E-mail Niki Gulley


•••
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 2025. Please let us know if you would like to join us!

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
Only 4 spots left!
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.

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Two Spots Available for Tuscany Foodie Trek this September!

  

"Golden Undulation," Tuscany ©2026 Niki Gulley

10" x 20" Textured Acrylic Painting on Canvas Panel

My husband and I stumbled upon this quintessential Tuscan farmhouse while out for a scenic drive this spring. Perched alone on top of this hill, we loved how the incredibly long cypress lined driveway was silhouetted by the sky. The soft light caused the hills to glow the most intense golden chartreuse, and I felt compelled to capture the beautiful scene. Unfortunately that meant I had to set up my easel alongside a rather busy road. Undeterred by the constant parade of racing traffic and horn honking semi trucks, I quickly got to work in order to paint these gorgeous clouds and light before they were gone.

"Golden Undulation" is available through The Good Art Company Gallery. Visit https://www.goodartcompany.com/product-page/abstract-impression-original-art-10x20-landscape-golden-undulation.

***

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 a couple of spots open up for our trip this September. Please let us know if you would like to join us. Spaces fill up quickly! 

Iceland
August 3-10, 2026

Only 1 spot left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Tuscany Foodie Trek 

September 26 - October 3, 2026

Only a couple spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy
October 4-11, 2026

Only 4 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-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.


***

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


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, February 18, 2026

"Windows on the World" Oil Painting by Niki Gulley from Tuscany

 

"Windows on the World" ©2026 Niki Gulley
9" x 12" textured oil painting on panel

Inspired by Tuscany, you can almost imagine what the view must be like when you throw open the shutters and greet the morning as the scene unfolds below you! I loved the morning light raking across the building, casting long shadows and causing the textured stone and brick to tell its detailed history. And, there’s always one piece of laundry that refuses to dry as quickly as the others on the closthesline!

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.


__________________________________________________________________________________

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 a couple of spots open up for our trip this September. Please let us know if you would like to join us. Spaces fill up quickly! 

Iceland
August 3-10, 2026

Only 1 spot left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Tuscany Foodie Trek 

September 26 - October 3, 2026

Only a couple spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy
October 4-11, 2026

Only 4 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-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.



__________________________________________________________________________________

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Wedding Rose Garden Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

"Ruby Blooms" ©2026 Niki Gulley
20" x 10" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

When we checked into our B and B in Tuscany this year, we were greeted by beautiful rose gardens surrounding the property. WOW! With such a plethora of gorgeous blooms, it was really hard to narrow down what to paint. Finally I landed on these crimson beauties with a peek at the Tuscan villa in the distance. I adore the cypress trees so indicative of Tuscany so I made sure to include them in the background. I also loved how this ancient twisted vine hugged the scene, creating an organic window of the view beyond. Filled with joy and color, I hope you are transported to this serene escape.


For details on more of my Tuscany or rose garden paintings, please e-mail Niki Gulley.

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

https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/


***

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 a couple of spots open up for our trip this September. Please let us know if you would like to join us. Spaces fill up quickly! 

Iceland
August 3-10, 2026

Only 1 spot left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Tuscany Foodie Trek 

September 26 - October 3, 2026

Only a couple spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy
October 4-11, 2026

Only 4 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-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.