Cinque Terre Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

"Italian Riviera" ©2025 Niki Gulley

40" x 30" oil painting on canvas 

Day 2, Riomaggiore: CINQUE TERRE

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

On the second day of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Cinque Terre, Italy, the sun was shining and we rode the train to the southern-most city of Riomaggiore. Setting up our easels right near the water, we enjoyed the cathartic sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore as we painted. I chose this view looking back at the intricate puzzle of stacked houses lining the hills while some of my students chose to paint the rocky cliffs and ocean surf. What an amazing, gorgeous, inspiring day!

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

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

***

Next year, we'll be returning to Cinque Terre with an exciting new Art Trek! If you're interested in joining us there or one one of our other workshops, please let us know. Spaces fill up quickly!

Globe-Trotting Immersive Excursions for Artists, Foodies and Travelers Led by Scott Willams and Niki Gulley Greece Art Trek Full Switzerland Art Trek  Full Tuscany Foodie Trek 2025  September 20-27, 2025 Only 2 spots left! https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2025/   2026 Tuscany Foodie Trek 2026  September 26 - October 3, 2026 Only 6 spots left! https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/ Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy October 4-11, 2026 https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/ Coming Soon: Portugal & Spain Foodie Treks - March Croatia & Slovenia Art Treks - May/June 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.

Cinque Terre Oil Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

Day 2, Riomaggiore: CINQUE TERRE / LAKE COMO ART TREK

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

Just Sold! On the second day of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Cinque Terre, Italy, the sun was shining and we rode the train to the southern-most city of Riomaggiore. Setting up our easels right near the water, we enjoyed the cathartic sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore as we painted. I chose this view looking back at the intricate puzzle of stacked houses lining the hills while some of my students chose to paint the rocky cliffs and ocean surf. While I couldn't quite finish this piece before our morning light disappeared, you can see my progress below.

SOLD • 12" x 9" oil painting by Niki Gulley

If you'd like to join us for our next Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop, please let me know.  For more details, e-mail Niki Gulley or go to ArtTreks.org.

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

***

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Day 2, Cinque Terre Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

Day 2, Riomaggiore: CINQUE TERRE / LAKE COMO ART TREK

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

On the second day of our plein-air painting and photography workshop in Cinque Terre, Italy, the sun was shining and we rode the train to the southern-most city of Riomaggiore. Setting up our easels right near the water, we enjoyed the cathartic sounds of the waves crashing against the rocky shore as we painted. I chose this view looking back at the intricate puzzle of stacked houses lining the hills while some of my students chose to paint the rocky cliffs and ocean surf. While I couldn't quite finish this piece before our morning light disappeared, you can see my progress below.

12" x 9" oil painting by Niki Gulley

If you'd like to join us in Cinque Terre / Lake Como for our next Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop Sept. 12th-21st, please let me know. The workshop is already half full and a final registration deadline of Nov. 2nd is quickly approaching, so sign up soon! For more details, e-mail Niki Gulley or go to nikigulley.com/artreks.

Upcoming Art Treks

Venice, Italy – Carnivalé – Feb. 22-Mar. 1, 2014

Paris, France – June 19-27, 2014

 Provence, France – June 26 – July 4, 2014

Tuscany, Italy – Sept. 5-13, 2014

Cinque Terre and Lake Como, Italy – Sept. 12-21, 2014

Plein Air Painting / Photography Workshops

Led by Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

These workshops are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register soon!

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

***

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings and plein air oil paintings, please visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Tuscany Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

“Chasing the Light” ©2010 Niki Gulley
8” x 10” oil painting

We just got back from teaching our plein air painting / photography workshop in Tuscany, and everyone had a fabulous time! Of course it would be hard not to when immersed in such beautiful scenery – gorgeous rolling hills that stretch for miles and mysteriously change shapes from the Tuscan sun light. I painted this piece right outside the front door of our villa, which was surrounded by amazing 360 degree views of the valleys and distant hill towns. Truly beautiful! With the constantly moving clouds causing the light to change minute to minute, our challenge was to paint the scene quickly and yet capture the mood created by the soft dramatic morning light.

If you’d like to see my recent Italian inspired landscapes, along with my students’ work, stop by my studio as part of the White Rock Artists’ Studio Tour this weekend in Dallas. WhiteRockArtists.com

If you’d like more information on our next painting / photography workshop in Greece this May or Tuscany September 2011, visit my website at

nikigulley.com/?page_id=13 for more information

or e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

www.NikiGulley.com

Tuscany Painting by Niki Gulley

12" x 12" oil painting • Tuscany • by Niki Gulley

The NLAPW invited me to demonstrate my technique and approach to oil painting this weekend. With only 30 minutes for the demo, I thought about what I could actually paint that quickly when it usually takes me a lot longer to finish an oil painting in the studio or on location, and often times I have to complete the final layers a couple of days later when the earlier paint has dried. So I thought if I stuck with a small canvas, started with squeezing out more paint that I'd need, premixing my colors, having the underpainting and drawing completed, and stuck with a subject I was familiar with, I could accomplish enough for the group to take away a nugget or two of information.

Having visited Tuscany a couple of times and painted numerous scenes plein air and from photos and memories, I chose this Tuscan landscape with the lone clump of cypress. I love the rolling hills, wildflowers in the foreground, and especially that bizarre grouping of trees in the distance. Why are they planted that way? How come they are the only trees for a mile around? The site intrigues me, so I was excited about sharing it with the group. Thank you for having me as your guest, ladies! I hope you enjoyed the demo.

For more information about my paintings from Italy or about upcoming painting/photography workshops in Tuscany and Venice, e-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

Details are soon to come on my website, www.nikigulley.com/ng2/?page_id=13.