Photomanipulation 1st place winner

Paintings from the Golden Age continue to captivate and haunt me. I draw inspiration from the golden baroque frames, rich tints and hues and the otherworldly technical skill. At the same time, I feel a disconnection to these works as well. I remain haunted by the historical representation of black faces in classical western art and culture. Often depicted as servants, props or not at all. Though a photographer, not a master painter, I have a lingering devotion to create contemporary imagery with hints of renaissance references celebrating the often hidden beauty of people of color.

In this series I loosely combine traces of African and African American culture with renaissance undertones.

Within the past 2 years, Tawny Chatmon has redirected her signature style of ethereal sunlit children's photography into mediums outside of just photography. Tawny is a self taught artist who has been working in the field of photography for the past 16 years.

Born in Tokyo, growing up an ‘army brat’, she had the unique opportunity to take in the cultures of three different continents all before the age of 12. By then she was in the United States and elbow-deep in her aunt’s theatre company. She studied theatrical arts from the age 12 to early adulthood. After receiving a scholarship for dramatic arts, she switched paths and focused her interests on being behind the camera. Her background unquestionably contributes to her wide range of talents.

For Chatmon, her photographs are the first layer which she manipulates and unites with other photographic components. Thereafter she often adds overlappings of gold leaf, paint, digital collage and illustration. Doing so, she produces a work that is more than just a work of photography but a new photographic expression.