Joyce Tenneson
Joyce Tenneson’s intimate portraits most often depict nude or semi-nude women in ethereal iterations. The glowing, subtly lit forms in her photographs exude quiet strength and poise and range from portraits of posed models to self-portraits or images of celebrities. For her Light Warriors series, Tenneson staged black-and-white photographs of women as mythical figures who seemingly emanate light. And in her Transformations pictures, angelic-looking, pastel-colored females appear wrapped in shimmering gauze or ringed by halos, her feminine subjects ranging from cherubic children to old and dignified women. Her longer book-length projects include Wise Women, Amazing Men, and Trees and the Alchemy of Light—Tenneson has published 15 such books in total.
Tenneson commonly uses a Polaroid camera to capture her images, infusing them with a wholly original raw yet dreamy quality. “My camera is a witness,” the artist says in a statement on her website. “It holds a light up for my subjects to help them feel their own essence and gives them the courage to collaborate in the recording of these revelations."
Tenneson, who lives and works in Rockport, Maine, was born in 1945 in Weston, Massachusetts. She grew up largely in and around the convents where …
Joyce Tenneson’s intimate portraits most often depict nude or semi-nude women in ethereal iterations. The glowing, subtly lit forms in her photographs exude quiet strength and poise and range from portraits of posed models to self-portraits or images of celebrities. For her Light Warriors series, Tenneson staged black-and-white photographs of women as mythical figures who seemingly emanate light. And in her Transformations pictures, angelic-looking, pastel-colored females appear wrapped in shimmering gauze or ringed by halos, her feminine subjects ranging from cherubic children to old and dignified women. Her longer book-length projects include Wise Women, Amazing Men, and Trees and the Alchemy of Light—Tenneson has published 15 such books in total.
Tenneson commonly uses a Polaroid camera to capture her images, infusing them with a wholly original raw yet dreamy quality. “My camera is a witness,” the artist says in a statement on her website. “It holds a light up for my subjects to help them feel their own essence and gives them the courage to collaborate in the recording of these revelations."
Tenneson, who lives and works in Rockport, Maine, was born in 1945 in Weston, Massachusetts. She grew up largely in and around the convents where her parents worked. In 1989, she received the International Center of Photography’s Infinity award, and in 2012, she earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographers of America. Her portraits have been featured on the covers of magazines such as Time, the New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and Entertainment Weekly.
Dowling Walsh Gallery, Rockland, ME
A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans, LA
Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach, FL