His artistic method relied on a technique known as analogous harmony. Gifford would apply multiple layers of thin glazes to his canvases to suggest a physical presence of air and mist. In paintings like A Gorge in the Mountains, he used these glazes to unify the composition under a single tone. He frequently included minuscule human figures to establish a sense of scale. This practice demonstrated the vastness of nature without the need for exaggerated geological features.

Modern collectors are drawn to the stillness and order found in Gifford's work. His paintings of the Catskills and Haverstraw Bay focus on the interaction between light and water. These pieces provide a sense of space and clarity that complements modern living environments. By choosing works such as Autumn, a Wood Path, buyers bring a piece of the nineteenth-century wilderness into their homes through a lens of soft, filtered light.