Artists' Spotlight: Nicole Andrijauskas

August 3, 2026

At Gapka, we are continually inspired by the ways artists push the boundaries of paint to articulate the full spectrum of human feeling. In this installment of our Artist Spotlight, we had a conversation with Nicole Andrijauskas, a Bay Area painter who seamlessly bridges delicate elegance with commanding, unapologetic presence.

After 25 years of working in oils, Nicole experienced a profound artistic evolution fueled by a fearless reimagining of color, scale, and female empowerment. Here, she shares her process, her shift into neon oils, and how she captures the quiet strength and electric energy of her subjects.

Q: Your paintings carry such a distinct weight and presence. What continuously draws you back to your subjects?

Nicole: Women. Their fortitude, grace under pressure, intelligence, assertive nature... classy and brassy, I admire them in their complexity and whole person.

Similarly, I'm drawn to painting flowers as well. They are equally intricate and delicate, but produce rich colors and intoxicating fragrance to a degree that we've made perfumes out of them. We decorate our homes with them. We use them as poetic metaphors. And, like women, they too, can withstand harsh conditions in order to survive. They are both pure beauty.

Q: You worked in oils for two and a half decades before drastically shifting your approach to color. What sparked that evolution in your palette?

Nicole: I've worked with oils for about 25 years, but in 2024 I was looking to change my style to make it distinct and powerful. I wanted it to stand out beyond the subject matter yet still exist in a class with which I was familiar.

I was curious about working with neons but didn't know they existed in oils until I learned about Gapka. It's been a complete game changer—I paint almost exclusively with neons now. Combining them with a few traditional colors or with each other really elevates the whole palette. The paintings feel full of life, energetic even, demanding attention.

Now, I start new works by asking myself, "What color do I feel? How does it envelop me?" Pairing the work with translucent neon acrylic frames creates some fun color play across the surface and on the wall too, depending on the light. The process of discovery is pretty intoxicating.

Q: What is currently coming to life across the canvases in your studio?

Nicole: Currently, I'm painting large-scale portraits of women I know and admire for a big solo show in January 2028 at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco.

Some of the women are friends, and some are family. A few are women I've only known a short time, but long enough to feel their impression. They range in age, ethnicity, personal background, and style—the latter being a major highlight of the work. What we wear helps tell our stories, and I want to use it as a way to uplift each subject so they feel comfortable in their skin, strong in their pose... a force.

I'll be adding enlarged flowers as a concealed element later, and the translucent neon acrylic too.

Q: Looking at where your work sits today, how does this body of work feel compared to where you started?

Nicole: Painting women I actually know, in colors most of us weren't taught to trust, feels like the truest version of my work so far. I'm excited for people to see the scale, the color, the materials, and the subjects finally speaking the same language. I hope viewers walk away seeing themselves in it somewhere.

Follow Nicole's Journey:

Explore more of Nicole’s work and stay updated on her upcoming 2028 exhibition by visiting nicolearts.com or follow Nicole at @nicole.adrijauskas on Instagram.