Refuge to host ‘Daydreaming’ exhibit
The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel will host Niki Butcher’s “Daydreaming” exhibition in the free Visitor & Education Center Auditorium from Dec. 21 through Feb. 25.
She specializes in hand-painted black-and-white photography glorifying nature’s beauty. Spouse of world-renowned wildlife photographer Clyde Butcher, Butcher has made a name for herself capturing the splendor and authenticity of special places and people. She finds beauty not only in nature but also in the historical buildings and interesting people who inhabit the landscapes.
Inspired by the hand-painted postcards of the 1930s, Butcher’s first started painting her black-and-white photographs in the 1980s. Using her own photographs, oil paints, Q-tips and cotton balls, she turned landscapes into dreamscapes and reality into fantasy. Today, Butcher uses a similar technique to paint digitally.
“This is Niki’s first traveling exhibit, and we are the second showing of it,” “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge Executive Director Ann-Marie Wildman said. “It is a unique opportunity to view this exhibition before it begins its touring exhibition schedule.”
Butcher will mount about 50 of her original works and prints. Prints will be available for sale through the Refuge Nature Store, whose profits benefit education and conservation at the refuge.
The DDWS support the refuge exhibitions.
The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel.