IGUANA MAN | Niki Butcher

Florida Keys © 1983

Photographic Story If you visited Key West in the 1980s, there is a good chance you may have seen or met the Iguana Man. He was a friendly character who was always eager to have tourists pose for pictures with his bandana-clad iguana. He often rode around on his bike with his little dog and iguanas hanging on for dear life! He represented the wonder of Key West, a place where authentic, unique individuals somehow manage to get along. The Art of Hand Painting Black and White Photographs Niki prints her images on fiber-base black and white mat surface paper in the darkroom, then using Q-tips and cotton balls, she applies a thin coat of oil paint over the surface allowing the image to gently be seen through the oil paint. Archival Print Making Niki’s open edition gicleé artwork is printed on Sunset Bright Velvet Rag matte finish paper using eight archival inks. A state-of-the-art Epson Stylus Pro printer creates deep, rich dark values that hold subtle detail in the shadows as well as bright vivid colors that are truly tropical.