JOSE GASPER’S TREASURE COMPANY | Niki Butcher

Flagler Beach © 1996

Photographic Story The pirate Jose Gaspar is one of Florida’s celebrated figures. Every year, Tampa has a Gasparilla Festival celebrating his days as the “last of the Buccaneers”. When I came across this quaint mom and pop souvenir shop named after Jose Gaspar, I wondered what he would have thought about it…considering he was a pirate, he probably would have loved it! 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.