Capturing Vermont’s Fall Foliage with Palette Knife Painter Niki Gulley

  

“Climbing to the Sky” ©2026 Niki Gulley
24″ x 18″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel
 
The color explosion in northern Vermont was out of this world, and I just had to capture its fleeting beauty.  So, we found a nice big place to park the RV and I was able to work larger again today. The reds were so vibrant and intense on this maple that it had to be my focus. Feeling like a kid with the excitement of the colors, I chose this uplifting view reminiscent of laying on the ground as a child and staring up into the treetops and sky. Totally lost in the moment and not a care in the world, I hope you are transported to a similar happy memory from your youth!
 
 
To purchase “Climbing to the Sky,” please visit https://www.nikigulley.com/climbing-to-the-sky/.

 

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

 

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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.

 

“Between the Birches” Fall Foliage Painting from Maine by Niki Gulley

“Between the Birches” ©2026 Niki Gulley
18″ x 24″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Painted on location in Acadia National Park, we discovered this beautiful spot alongside the road with plenty of room to park our RV, which isn’t always easy to find a spot large enough. The birches were starting to turn colors and I loved this peaceful lake view. I hope it transports you to serenity, too!

For more details and to purchase, “Between the Birches,” follow https://www.nikigulley.com/between-the-birches/.

 
 
 

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

 
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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.

 

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

 

“Fall’s Spectrum” ©2026 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!
 
 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 
•••
 
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”  ©2026 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/.

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

 

Colorful Birch Tree Painting from Vermont by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

“Golden Destination” ©2026 Niki Gulley
20? x 30? textured acrylic painting on canvas
The weather turned quickly in Vermont! From 80 to 50 and solid rain in just a day. So here I took advantage of my last chance to paint while it was dry and there were still autumn leaves on the trees. Gilded and crimson foliage invite you to explore this golden light filled path. May you experience nature’s joy and serenity while wandering through these woods.
 
To see a video of the area as I was painting, check out https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOE3TjOlkc/.
 
 
 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 

 

•••
 
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.

 

“Old Orchard Beach” Painting in Maine by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

 

 

“Old Orchard Beach” ©2026 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel
 
What a fabulous day! Sun is shining. Waves are crashing. Seagulls are screaming. And, I’ve got my toes in the sand. We’ve landed on Old Orchard Beach in Maine just soaking up the beautiful scenery. Hope you can feel the beautiful ocean breezes and hear the cathartic sound of the tide, too!
 
•••
 
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.
 
https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 

 

Palette Knife Abstract Seascape Painting by Artist Niki Gulley

    

“Ocean Breeze” ©2026 Niki Gulley
24″ x 24″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 
We’re taking a break from fall foliage to soak up some warmth and sunshine along North Carolina’s Outer Banks coast. Listen to those rhythmic ocean waves! Talk about relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. Letting the sounds guide me and going with the flow of the moment, I left this one loose with abstract passages. I hope you can feel the joy and energy in this painting, and escape with me.
 
To see a video of this painting and location, visit https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyn0LbiOUhw/.
 
 
 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 
•••
 
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.

 

Serenity Now! Escape with Artist Niki Gulley to the Outer Banks

   

 
“Serenity Now” ©2026 Niki Gulley
12″ x 24″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 

After nine days of grey, cold and sometimes rainy weather, I really needed to warm up and soak up some Vitamin D sunshine. So, we took a detour from fall foliage and headed to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. We found an amazing campsite right on the water, and this was our view out our window for the next 2 days! While a little windy our first night, the next morning I woke to beautiful, calm blue waters and I just had to paint that serene view. Those 2 hammocks were calling my name to just relax. I hope you can escape with me into this peaceful, cathartic seascape.

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

 

Experience Asheville’s Gorgeous Fall Foliage in Niki Gulley’s Paintings

Autumn’s Descent ©2024 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 20″ x 30″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 

Just WOW!!! Our timing in Asheville was perfect. Gorgeous peak color and ideal 70 degree days. The view from our campsite was spectacular and I had to capture those autumn hues before they were gone. Especially since the leaves were falling into my paint as soon as I mixed the next color. I hope you can feel pure joy and energy in this one! And, there may be a little extra real leaf texture as a bonus.

 
 
To see a video about this painting, check out https://www.instagram.com/p/CzBw2bNOy_9/.
 
 https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 

 

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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.

 

“Between the Birches” Fall Foliage Painting from Maine by Niki Gulley

“Between the Birches” ©2025 Niki Gulley
18″ x 24″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Painted on location in Acadia National Park, we discovered this beautiful spot alongside the road with plenty of room to park our RV, which isn’t always easy to find a spot large enough. The birches were starting to turn colors and I loved this peaceful lake view. I hope it transports you to serenity, too!

For more details and to purchase, “Between the Birches,” follow https://www.nikigulley.com/between-the-birches/.

 
 
 

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

 
•••
 
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.