KEY WEST 4 | Niki Butcher

Florida Keys © 2020

Photographic Story Wandering through the streets of Key West is always a joy. I love the atmosphere and the unique tropical homes people have. There is a peace about Key West that I haven’t found anywhere else in the country. When I saw this home, I loved the welcoming feeling and couldn’t resist taking a photograph. If you recognize this home, but something seems slightly different, it is because I colored it the way I would if it was mine to paint. That is one of the best parts of hand-painting photographs. You get to create the world as you would like it to look. The Art of Hand Painting Black and White Photographs Photographed with a Sony digital camera and instead of oil painting with Q-tips and cotton balls, Niki was able to paint using Photoshop. Changing from the old-fashioned way of doing her art, to the new ‘fashion’ of using technology was challenging, but she’s enjoying getting back to her own personal expression. 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.