Untitled #1 (John Allen)

Since the invention of photography in the nineteenth century, new processes have greatly altered the traditional appearance of the medium.  Don Camp combines unconventional chemicals and earth pigments to achieve the grainy, ethereal quality of this poignant series of portraits.  His format of close-up views on a scale larger than life powerfully directs our attention to each individual personality.

In this series, Camp commemorates four men whom he respects and admires.  One is the artist's brother; another is John Allen, founder of Freedom Theatre.  Camp presents vivid documents of the men's strength of character.  Yet the photographs' drizzled streaks and whiskey edges  also offer a potent metaphor of what Camp calls "the fragility of African American men and how tender those hearts are."