“Meandering Meadow” Painting Bursting with Colorful Wildflowers by Niki Gulley


“Meandering Meadow” ©2026 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.

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

  

Ocean Sunset Painting by Contemporary Impressionist Niki Gulley

“Hazy Sunset” ©2026 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 9″ x 12″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Just SOLD! Painting this piece on location, I wanted to capture the movement in the ocean as the tides lapped along the shoreline. With the waves creating their cathartic rhythmic sounds, I left my strokes loose to convey that energy and motion. There was a beautiful sunset tonight that caused the sky and water’s surface to dance in these ethereal shades of pink and gold. I hope you, too, can feel the peaceful magic in the moment.

 
Visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.
 
Or e-mail me for more information on my seascapes at Niki@NikiGulley.com.
 
 
https://www.instagram.com/nikigulley/
 

Painting on Location in North Carolina with Impressionist Niki Gulley

  


“Nature’s Curves” ©2026 Niki Gulley
12″ x 9″ textured acrylic painting on canvas panel

Painted on location in Western North Carolina, I fell in love with this gorgeous tree. Gnarly, voluminous and full of curves, it almost reminded me a beautiful Rubinesque figure! Dappled light illuminated its shape, bringing dimension to life, which I had fun capturing with layers of textured paint and my palette knife. Arching over the river, she greets you with much needed shade for respite on this warm, summer day.

 

 

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.

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

 

 

“Morning in Paradise” Palette Knife Seashore painting by Niki Gulley

  

“Morning in Paradise” ©2026 Niki Gulley
9″ x 12″ textured oil painting

I wanted this painting to be about the power of the ocean to lift your spirits. Painting this piece on location, I strove to capture the sparkle the sun cast across the turquoise waters as it slowly rose above the horizon. Creating bobbing diamonds of sparkling light across the surface was truly mesmerizing to watch.

 
Visit my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary landscape palette knife paintings.
 
Or e-mail me for more information at Niki@NikiGulley.com.

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

Capturing Rhododendrons in NC with Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

 

 

 

“Blue Ridge Bounty” ©2026 Niki Gulley
20″ x 10″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 
This summer we hiked the Appalachian Trail along Carver’s Gap to see the breathtaking Rhododendrons blooming along Roan Mountain. Not only were the flowers spectacular, bursting with every shade of red from magenta and pink to tangerine orange, but the mountain views were so inspiring. On one side you could see for miles into Tennessee and on the other side ridge after ridge of North Carolina. I hope you enjoy the peace and beauty as you escape into this gorgeous hike!
 

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.

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

  

Painting Bursting with Colorful Wildflowers by Niki Gulley

 


“Summer in the Mountains” ©2026 Niki Gulley
20″ x 30″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 
While we had already made the 4 hour round trip drive and hiked several miles in the rain previously this week, we couldn’t get enough of these beautiful rhododendrons and mountain views. So, the weather looked much clearer and we decided to trek it a second time. Again, so worth the time and effort. The explosion of color from the flowers and the majestic blue ridge vistas filled our hearts with such awe and joy. Here I wanted to capture that uplifting feeling for you with thick, textured paint and my palette knife dancing across the canvas. May you be immersed in the cathartic grandeur of mother nature!
 

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.

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

  

New Contemporary Wildflower Painting by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

“Delightful Anticipation” ©2026 Niki Gulley
60″ x 30″” textured acrylic painting on wrap around canvas
 
 

Moving through the fear of starting a new large project – so exciting and yet intimidating! To help me paint more from my soul and less from my head, I first created an abstract “mess” of color. Then, allowing the canvas to guide me to tell its story and where to place my strokes and colors, the fun began. Truly exhilarating and just a little scary letting go of all control, like magic the landscape starts to emerge. I relish that freedom just playing and the aha moment where you feel everything coming together. After days, weeks, and even months of building layer upon layer of thick, textured paint, your subconscious vision comes to life. The canvas dances with color, sings with energy and my heart feels full. That’s when I know it is complete and I can’t wait to share that with you so you can get lost in the joy of luscious paint and nature’s beauty, too! Filled with so many layers and surprising pops of color all over the canvas, you’ll never get bored looking into “Delightful Anticipation” as there is always something new to discover. 

Check out a close-up video of the texture here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUTa4eZiZ6I/.

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For more details on my other wildflower 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/

Textured Bluebonnet and Texas Wildflower Paintings by Palette Knife Artist Niki Gulley

 

“Petal Poetry X” 
11″ x 16″ sculpted, highly textured acrylic painting on panel 

With such a rich kaleidoscope of hues from the Texas wildflowers, I am like a kid in a candy store every time I go out. The interplay of color between the Indian Paintbrush, Bluebonnets and assorted other wildflowers allows me to stretch the spectrum in this natural palette.

 
To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, please visit nikigulley.com.
 
Please e-mail Niki Gulley for options and details.
 

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

Painting Rhododendrons on Roan Mountain by Asheville Artist Niki Gulley

“Rhododendron Splendor” ©2025 Niki Gulley
SOLD • 30″ x 48″ textured acrylic painting on canvas
 
Just Sold! This summer we hiked the Appalachian Trail along Carver’s Gap to see the breathtaking Rhododendrons blooming along Roan Mountain. Not only were the flowers spectacular, bursting with every shade of red from magenta and pink to tangerine orange, but the mountain views were so inspiring. On one side you could see for miles into Tennessee and on the other side ridge after ridge of North Carolina. While the hike started out fairly clear, the clouds started to roll in as we climbed higher. But, I loved how that made the fog start dancing along the blue ridge peaks. Luckily, I got some good photographs of the scene before we were doused in rain and had to turn back. I hope you enjoy the peace and beauty as you escape into this gorgeous hike!
 

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.

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

  

Day 5 of Greece Art Trek with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

 

 
Day 5, Greece Art Trek:  Akrotiri and the Red Beach, Santorini

5″ x 7″ textured acrylic painting by Niki Gulley

On the fifth day of our Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshop in Greece, we visited Akrotiri, the remains from a Minoan civilization preserved during the volcanic eruption from the 16th century BC. The ancient city was fascinating. The beach next door also made for a beautiful, relaxing painting location!  I loved this church nestled into the cliffs, so typical on the Greek islands.
 
The Red Beach • photo by Scott Williams
 

That afternoon, we headed to a Santorini winery and sampled the local wines. Yum!

 
Taking a little time out to enjoy the view and sample the Greek wines, which are quite tasty!
 
 
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Please check out my website at NikiGulley.com to see more of my contemporary impressionist paintings.

 

 
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If you’ve always dreamed of painting, photographing and sightseeing in Europe, please join us for one of these amazing Art Treks! 
 

Switzerland Art Trek 
July 26 – August 2, 2025
Full

Tuscany Foodie Trek Trek 
September 27 – October 4, 2025
2 Spots Left!
 

Tuscany Foodie Trek 2026 
September 26 – October 3, 2026
Only 4 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/tuscany-foodie-2026/

Cinque Terre & Lake Como, Italy
October 4-11, 2026
Only 6 spots left!
https://www.arttreks.org/cinque-terre-2026/

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