Palette Knife Waterfall Painting by Impressionist Niki Gulley

"Looking Glass Falls" ©2024 Niki Gulley

SOLD • 24" x 18" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

So many waterfalls. So little time! Since this one is a shorter hike - just 100 steps down and then we merely had to climb over and balance on some slippery rocks, this was my painting spot! Listen to the cathartic rhythm of those rushing falls. Enjoy your escape with us to the mountains.

If you'd like to see a video and hear the rushing sounds of Looking Glass Falls, visit https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy56cAKufbJ/.

 

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

"Walk About II" Textured Aspen Tree Painting by Niki Gulley

 

  

"Walk About II" ©2025 Niki Gulley

10" x 20" textured mixed media painting 

on 3/4" wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

Follow the deep wood’s path and wander under a canopy of sheltering leaves, light shifts through each branch and twig. Long, late rays of sunlight pierce the dreaming autumn forest, as you enter shadows dapple your journey. You are walking down a loamy path, filled with color-drenched leaves that invite you into the purple shadows where you may seek your dreams. This painting of a tranquil wood’s trail inspires your journey and your dreams with lush colors and rich images of beauty ahead.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my birch and aspen tree oil paintings.

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

"Full Circle" Seasons Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

      

"Full Circle"  ©2025 Niki Gulley

30" x 30" textured acrylic painting on circular board

In “Full Circle,” I started thinking about how everything has its life cycle. Trees evolve from season to season, sprouting buds, forming leaves, turning in the fall and eventually dying back in the winter. Time is a constant. In our lives, the idea of time is often in the back or our mind. How long will we be here and how are we going to spend it? So, here I used nature as a metaphor. I arranged the seasons in the pattern of a clock face, representing the cycle of life. Twelve main trunks act like the hours in a day, arranged in a circle as time ticks on. Gazing into the treetops like looking up to the heavens, light shines through as a reassuring beacon of hope and what’s beyond.

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

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

 

Painting Covered Bridges in New England with Niki Gulley

    

"Spanning the River" ©2025 Niki Gulley

9" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

The rain definitely visited Vermont today, but it turns out one of the great things about traveling in an RV is I can still paint out the window and stay dry, even in the wet weather! So on our route from Stowe to Woodstock, we visited one of our favorite covered bridges in Northfield and I painted right from our dining room table. The old red bridge just popped against all of the fall foliage, and I enjoyed capturing its unique architecture. 

Painting from inside our RV

  

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley Paints New England's Fall Foliage

 

  

"Amid the Trees" ©2025 Nik Gulley

9" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Just outside of Stowe, VT, we chose a campsite on beautiful Lake Elmore. When we got there, the sky was blue and the surroundings were stunning. So, I had my heart set on painting the lake the next day, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Temperatures dropped 30 degrees overnight and rain, rain and more rain was predicted, so I set up my easel hoping to capture this serene view of the house nestled into the fall foliage. I was ahead of the rain but 30 mph side winds were making it very challenging to paint, so here is my progress and I will finish the rest up in my studio when I'm not shivering so much nor trying to draw straight lines in such blustery conditions!

  

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

Walking in the Woods with Impressionist Landscape Painter Niki Gulley

36” x 18” textured acrylic painting on canvas

©2024 Niki Gulley

SOLD

Loving the sounds of leaves falling and crunching underfoot, while enjoying the uplifting autumn colors and refreshing November air. I hope you enjoy this relaxing, rejuvenating walk through the woods with me! 

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

To see more of Niki's contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

"Fall's Arrival" in Maine - Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

 

"Fall's Arrival" ©2025 Niki Gulley

9" x 12" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Oh Maine! Such rugged beauty! In this piece I painted just outside of Bar Harbor, you can see the beginnings of fall hues. Birch trees are starting to vibrate with color, foreground grasses and wildflowers are bursting with joy and views over the vast ocean show glimpses of Bar Island nestled in Frenchman Bay.

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings. 

"Reflecting Fall" Palette Knife Painting by Niki Gulley

 

  

"Reflecting Fall" ©2025 Niki Gulley

9" x 12" textured acrylic painting on panel

We are loving the peaceful surroundings of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. We booked this picturesque campsite where we have our own dock and lake view. This morning we woke up to this serene scene, and of course, I just had to paint it! Golden light illuminating the beginnings of fall with a gentle ripple causing the reflections to meld into a beautiful symphony of colors.

 

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

"Tall Trees" Contemporary Landscape Painting by Niki Gulley

 

"Tall Trees"  ©2025 Niki Gulley

24" x 18" textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

A break in the drizzle in Woodstock, Vermont! And, a chance to paint again. Unfortunately, the rain and wind took their toll on the fall foliage. But, I loved these tall pine trees and the few autumn leaves hanging on. So, I bundled up and set out to capture their height and majesty in this vertical treetop view. I hope they lift your spirits, too, and bring back fun memories of childhood cloud gazing. Now, I hope I can talk Scott into a back rub after craning my neck to paint this one!

To see a video of me painting this one, check out https://www.instagram.com/p/CyVrv3iOAu9/.

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.

Painting Autumn in All Its Glory with Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

October Orchestra ©2025 Niki Gulley

24” x 12” textured acrylic painting on canvas

I love looking for scenery around Asheville that I can share with you and lift your spirits. And, the explosion of vibrant fall color here does not disappoint! The maples are displaying their full autumn glory, so I had to capture those ruby reds for you. May this kids’ perspective bring you the joy of carefree days and hopes for a bright future. 

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

To see more of Niki's contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Vibrant Fall Foliage Painting by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

 

"Autumn Wonderland" 36” x 18” textured acrylic painting on canvas

©2024 Niki Gulley

SOLD

Those magical moments on Asheville trails when the sun hits just right! 🍂 Finally getting to paint these incredible colors I've been dreaming about since our RV trip last fall. The leaves were literally dancing in the breeze while I painted - nature's own little show!

I hope you enjoy the ride, too! Check out this video if you's like to see more of the gorgeous autumn scenery - https://www.instagram.com/p/DB8-2vmR87-/.

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

To see more of Niki's contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Autumn Aspen Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

"Painted Forest" ©2025 Niki Gulley

18" x 24" textured mixed media painting 

on 1.5" wrap around canvas with the painting continuing around the edges

I loved this brilliant aspen forest with its bright white aspen trunks slicing through all of the vibrant red and yellow foliage. The patterns of the trees created a sort of rhythm and I focused on the placement of the ivory sentinels, the diagonal purple shadows that they cast and the rustling of the leaves to add to that musical feeling. I hope you, too, can sense the energy and joy of being surrounded by nature as autumn is in full swing.

E-mail Niki Gulley for more information on my birch and aspen tree oil paintings.

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

 

 

 

New "Casting Shadows" Fall Foliage Painting by Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

 

"Casting Shadows" ©2025 Niki Gulley

textured acrylic on canvas

30" x 40” on 1.5″ deep canvas with the painting wrapping around the edges

What a gorgeous day for a drive through the beautiful fall foliage! I hope you can feel the cool breeze and smell the fresh scent of pine and cider in the air. May this one bring joy and energy to your day, as you escape into this autumn wonderland.

If you’d like to see a photo of me painting this one and it’s 3-D texture, check out https://www.instagram.com/p/DCHGx3RRo4n/.

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

To see more of Niki's contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

New "Autumn Brushstrokes" Palette Knife Painting by Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

 

 

"Autumn Brushstrokes" © 2025 Niki Gulley

12" x 12" textured acrylic on canvas panel

Can you feel nature's energy as cooling autumn breezes dance through the vibrant foliage? As leaves start to fall, glimpses of the distance peeks and valleys shine through and your journey is illuminated with gorgeous mountain views. Incorporating bold, broad, skipping strokes add to that feeling of joy and rejuvenation while thick, chunky texture brings this sculptural painting to life.

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

To see more of Niki's contemporary impressionistic landscape paintings, visit nikigulley.com.

Can you feel nature's energy as cooling autumn breezes dance through the vibrant foliage? As leaves start to fall, glimpses of the distance peeks and valleys shine through and your journey is illuminated with gorgeous mountain views. Incorporating bold, broad, skipping strokes add to that feeling of joy and rejuvenation while thick, chunky texture brings this sculptural painting to life.

Fall Foliage in the Smoky Mountains by Palette Knife Painter Niki Gulley

 

     

"Fall's Spectrum" ©2025 Niki Gulley

24" x 30" textured acrylic painting on canvas

Here is Asheville, NC in all of its peak autumn glory the last week of October. Of course, one of the challenges of plein-air painting is you never know what is going to change in the scene you are capturing. For instance, our neighbors at our campsite chose to park their black sedan right here in the middle of our picturesque view. Oh, well! The scenery beyond was still beautiful and I was able to take some photos on my camera to finish this one up at home. It also gave us a good excuse to take a scooter ride on that beautiful 70 degree day and check out the picturesque nature trails in the North Carolina Arboretum. Not a bad way to finish up our immersive autumn trip!

 

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For more information on my textured palette knife paintings, please e-mail me at Niki Gulley.

Or, please visit my website at  NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape paintings.