TOM GASKINS’ CYPRESS KNEE MUSEUM | Niki Butcher

Palmdale © 1984

Photographic Story Tom invited us to visit a boardwalk on the back of his property. We were expecting a finished path, but instead, he pointed to a catwalk made of two-by-fours nailed to cypress trees. It was a literal “board” walk! Neither Clyde nor I had ever been deep into a swamp, so we entered somewhat warily. The beauty of the cypress swamp took my breath away. This initial journey into the swamp inspired both of us to photograph the interior of this diverse and beautiful state. Thank you, Tom Gaskins! 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.