LAST DRUG RUN | Niki Butcher

Bahamas © 1989

Photographic Story We were visiting a small island in the Bahamas with not much to do but relax and stroll the beach. One afternoon we walked as far as the beach would take us and came upon this airplane. When we returned from our walk, we asked the locals what had happened. They replied, “Oh, that was the last drug run those guys took.” As the locals told it, the Coast Guard was chasing the airplane, and when the smugglers realized they couldn’t shake the Coast Guard, they landed by hitting the water and sliding up onto the beach. The plane was full of drugs, so some of the guys on the island helped the men remove their product and then helped the drug runners escape from the island before the Coast Guard could get there. Since no one came forward to claim their airplane, it has remained on the beach. 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.