PELICAN DINER | Niki Butcher

St. Petersburg Beach © 1985

Photographic Story For over forty years, the Pelican Diner was a mainstay of St. Pete Beach. Originally opened in New Jersey, the restaurant was moved to Florida sometime around 1958. I have heard many stories about love and romance blossoming in this tiny diner. Unfortunately, the Pelican Diner struggled to survive and eventually closed. I am grateful I was able to photograph it before it shut down in 2001. The building no longer stands on 75th Avenue, but it is rumored to be in storage somewhere being renovated. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see it restored and opened for all of us to enjoy again? 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.