Niki Butcher Debuts Hand-Painted Photography Exhibit in Downtown Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency announces the debut exhibit of Niki Butcher, "Daydreaming: Niki Butcher's Hand-Painted Photography," featuring more than 60hand-painted photographs created over five decades.

The free exhibit is on display at the Clearwater Main Library, 100 N. Osceola Ave., through January 31, 2023.

Showcasing the historical, beautiful, and sometimes quirky aspects of our world through the eyes of a thoughtful optimist, Niki Butcher developed her own technique for hand-painting her darkroom photographs, starting with capturing a scene on black and white film.

Setting her work apart through use of color, she then uses Q-tips and cotton balls to apply oil paint, creating a unique color palette that reflects her optimistic view of the world.

Butcher's work captures places and people that stand out as beautiful, unique, endangered, and authentic, offering a view of the world that adds a bit more color, a good dose of humor, and an infusion of positivity.

Butcher said she is excited to present the first solo exhibition of her artwork in Clearwater, a community that celebrates its locals and invites tens of thousands of visitors to experience the beauty and fun of Florida's Gulf Coast every year.

"Using my photographs and oil paints, I am able to turn landscapes into dreamscapes and reality into fantasy. It is my hope that you can sit back, relax, and take a moment to enjoy this beautiful, quirky, fun, and sometimes funky world that we occupy," she said.

On Saturday, July 9 there will be grand opening celebration and artist meet and greet from 11 to 1 p.m. at the library. Butcher's husband, Clyde Butcher, whose six-month exhibit of world-renowned black and white landscapes just ended a successful run in the Clearwater Main Library, will also be a special guest. For more information on the exhibit visit, downtownclearwater.com/nikibutcher.