Lighting Assistant and Behind The Scenes Video: Anthony Colagreco
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The Next Vixen
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All of my life I have heard my mom talk about her modeling days. When she did she would always recall her fond memories of a photographer named Tony Ward.
As time went on I have grown to be tall and thin like my mother and received several compliments and suggestions that I should become a model.
When I turned 18 recently I remembered the fond memories that my mom spoke about and the desire to model because it was a life goal.
Learning that Tony Ward chose me to be part of his Vixen series was a welcomed surprise. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think about this honor. I hope I can make my mom proud and prove to be the fierce vixen that Tony Ward obviously sees in me.
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Shawna and Nefertari Williams. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2023
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Behind The Scenes
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Text by Shayna Williams, Copyright 2023
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The day we spent weeks preparing for finally came, the day of the photo shoot. It had been seemingly countless days since my mother mentioned it and it went by faster than expected. The night before the shoot we spent picking clothes, planning makeup, and even deciding which heels are the best. This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen my mother in a photoshoot so I was expecting the same basics, but this photoshoot was different from others.
In the car ride there, sighing from exhaustion after spending a night preparing for the upcoming event, I heard “here we are!” and looked up to see a nice house. My first thoughts were “I’ve never seen my mom do a photoshoot at a house, I wonder how this will work” and “I hope we didn’t overpack, I wouldn’t want to make a mess in somebody’s home.”
We bring the bags past the front door, I look around and I notice how beautiful everything is. I immediately got an artsy vibe. I knew the photoshoot was gonna be amazing after seeing how nicely decorated everything was.
After being instructed to put the cases in a dressing room, as we walk in my sister says “look at the walls” and we see erotic photos. I’m personally okay with the idea of the human body being art, in fact I like the idea of it a lot. My concern was my niece who had also tagged along and saw the pictures. But she was fine with it as well!
My niece and I walk to the backyard, which is also decorated very nicely, and sit to relax. I notice a brown building that appeared to be under construction behind the main houses on the property with a door on it. I learned later this was the new Tony Ward Studio under construction. At this point I’m thinking the photoshoot will happen outside, but when my mom and sister came out they walked right into the new studio that was under construction. I followed along and saw a nice photography set with a Paris themed backdrop in the room. It was truly different, but already more intriguing, than any shoot I’ve ever seen my mother on.
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During the photo shoot I decided to walk to get ice cream at a place called Sprinkles with my niece. Elkins Park, the neighborhood about 10 miles north of center city Philadelphia where the shoot took place was very nice as well! On the walk back I decided to sit outside and wait for the rest of the shoot to finish. Once it did we started cleaning up and were told to get ready for the lunch that was prepared for us. I wasn’t really expecting one but it was really good! I enjoyed the food, especially the broccoli!
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After the shoot, lunch with the Williams family.
It was sadly time to go afterwards. As we were walking back to the car I was thinking about how new this experience was. I’ve never seen a shoot done in such a unique and remarkable way. I’d love to go back again. Even if we won’t be taking pictures the setting alone was amazing.
Kitchie Ohh: Photo: David Rocha, Shogun Photography
Text by Kitchie Ohh, Copyright 2023
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This Time Last Year
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This time last year, I made my grand debut here at Tony Ward Studio with a series of covers and writings. For the Vixens series project, Tony offered me a prompt which I took in a direction that was incredibly cathartic. Spilling my guts out in those pieces turned into a monthly thing and with this article, you have now been subjected to a full year of my ramblings. Thanks for reading, and also, I’m sorry! (Well, no, not really.)
A lot can change in a short amount of time. Sometimes, the change is good; other times, not so much. Sometimes, change is exciting; others, scary. Often, there’s a whole mix of emotion happening all at once. But that’s the thing, no matter how we feel about it, change is inevitable. Beginnings and endings are constantly happening. Big changes, little changes. Ones that shake your entire world or go barely noticed. We often hear the expression “the beginning of the end,” but what about the beginning IN the end?
I have always enjoyed writing. I loved creative writing assignments and book reports in school. Though I never kept an official journal, writing out feelings and thoughts was, and still is, one of the ways I process things in my life. A large part of my career for the last two decades has involved writing in some way. So when the opportunity came up to combine writing with my newer-found hobby of modeling, I thought, why not? And then I was terrified. This wasn’t a school assignment. This was me, my image alongside my thoughts, my opinions for anyone to read. And judge. And criticize. I sat at my computer with the provided prompt and the words poured out. The images and articles went live. Despite my anxiety, I shared the links everywhere, and was proud of myself. I had told my parents about the project but instead of directing them to the links, I wanted them to hear my words from me. It was important. I read all three articles to them at the dining room table. I didn’t make it through without crying. Even though the articles were already posted and people had shared positive feedback, it was reading them out loud to my parents that changed me. The days of bottling my feelings, of not talking about the things that hurt me were at an end. So, too, were the days of thinking I couldn’t or shouldn’t share my “non-professional” writing out of the belief that no one cared what I had to say. I’ve been writing monthly, now, for an entire year. My original thoughts and words are out there but I’m the one who doesn’t care now. I always hope that any piece I write evokes something in the people who read it, but I no longer obsess about whether it is good enough to be read.
At the time of my photoshoot last September, things had been extremely tense for some time at my job. It made me sad. It had started out as my dream job. The organization and mission were close to my heart, but the environment changed. It was affecting my personal life and that had to end. I put my love of writing to good use refreshing my resume and cover letters. It was validating and exciting to interview at multiple companies. Potential employers were interested in and impressed by my skills and experience. Things got very real, very quickly, when I had multiple offers in the same week. I panicked, but again writing came to the rescue through a handwritten “pro and con” exercise of each offer.Clearly, I came up with a winner. My new role is a challenge, but in mostly good ways. I no longer feel like I’m being set up to fail. Instead, I’m welcoming new responsibility, providing leadership and support to a whole team. I am trusting myself. I still get to write, too. This new chapter in my professional life couldn’t have been possible without the ending of the previous one.
Believe me, I’m well aware that not all endings can be viewed and associated with a positive beginning as I’ve laid out above.Like when we lose someone, such as a failed relationship or the death of a loved one, that ending is devastating. Everything you do after they are gone is a sad beginning, a first time without them. But it’s also a success; evidence that you CAN do those things anyway. As much as it may hurt doing them alone, you begin to heal through that persistence.
No matter what the end may be, the type of beginning it brings is your choice. There is time and space enough for you to both mourn the loss of what was and celebrate what comes next. You can be happy to stop something but scared to begin another. There is absolutely no way to prevent yourself from ever facing a change, a loss, an end; you might as well take control of it. Because without the ends there can be no beginnings.
And so this concludes a year’s worth of tolerating my ranting. Stay tuned for what next month may bring.
To Be Continued…..
Kitchie
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Kitchie Ohh. Photo: David Rocha, Shogun Photography
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kitchie Ohh is a full-time professional fundraiser who has worked with a number of health and human services nonprofits in the Philadelphia area over the last 20 years. She found her passion for modeling after a pinup-style photoshoot in 2013. Since then, she has worked with many talented photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists in a variety of styles. She has been featured in- and on the covers of – multiple print and digital publications. Over the years, she has branched out from pinup studio modeling to serve as a figure model for live sketching, walked a runway, and was part of two campaigns for Philadelphia designer K. Vaughn.
In addition to her philanthropy-focused career, she has volunteered with art, historical, and community organizations, and even the events team of a local brewery for a while, pre-pandemic.
You’re just as likely to find her whipping up something deliciously plant-based in her kitchen or knitting a sweater as you are to find her on a photography set. Her motto is “be both.” The model and the homemaker, sultry and sweet, serious and silly. All the things, all at once.
When I started interviewing women in alternative lifestyles killing it, I didn’t think it would end up a series for Tony Ward Studio.
Tony continued to capture vixens after I took a mental break from writing last year . That’s the thing with this , I often shutdown when going through something. Then pick right up where I left it when the smoke clears . This has been my therapy and mini- biography for the better part of 6 years .
This time I had some help recovering from darkness. I met newly appointed vixen K. Nicole at Dragon-con outside of her catering tent. Her energy was so good, I snapped a photo and added it to my Instagram tagging her business
Only, two months later K. Nicole reappeared in my office as a new partner of ours . I immediately asked her if I knew her never forgetting a face, and it hit me, Dragon-con ! We were in the middle of an event and I ignored everyone else around me . I know when something special is in front of me . We talked and found we were one and the same personality wise . Strong trauma driven women pushing boundaries to elevate away from things that hurt us .
K. Nicole has impacted my life in such a positive way. Networking is so much easier with a counterpart that has equal drive and determination .
I went though something personal in March, and not only did she ride it out with me , her two beautiful children did as well. I had always wondered about kids. If I would get to pass down my intelligence, and all my parents actually taught me .
However , I never saw anyone that disciplined theirs correctly from my generation. K. Nicole and her husbands military background has set a standard for their children. They are well behaved & so sweet. I fell in love with all of them immediately. I’ve been blessed to have all four of them in my life. Now wanting to parent myself one day .
I wanted to give K. Nicole what set my own soul free here at Tony Ward Studio.
K. Nicole’s story is a remarkable one . A woman that went though the hell of the military, suffered a great loss, is an exceptional business woman, wife , mother, creative, and friend.
I can’t imagine my life not having met her. I’m sure readers will feel the same way. It’s impossible finding driven female friends in your late thirties that are not riddled with guilt, bitter, or simply unmotivated . We’re spiritual dreamers curating life around us .
I could have recapped my life since then, but rehashing darkness does not bring in the light.
K. Nicole was that light for me . Thank you for being exactly what I needed . An amazing friend, and forever family.
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Photo courtesy of K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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Text by K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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There is no better feeling than taking care of business by day, vixen by night. I’m 36, happily married with two beautiful girls under 5 and an owner-operator in the food service, entertainment & transportation industries. My story is one of love, tragedy and perseverance. You might read this and think my life is that of fiction but believe me, you have no idea the half of it.
Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, I started running track at a very young age. My mother is from Trinidad & Tobago and my father is Jamaican. Both met at an international track meet running for their prospective countries. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as I followed in their footsteps gaining accolades and excelling in the sport. At 17, I attended one of the SECs top track & field powerhouses as a student-athlete on a full scholarship. Although my time in college was mostly consumed with competition and schoolwork, I found myself exploring on my free time with my sexuality. I have since embraced my love for women as well as for the opposite sex. I have a deep love for anything that makes me feel good, human energies included.
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Photo courtesy of K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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My relationships have always been open.I learned early from my father that it was important to be honest with myself and with others at all times. Individuals that I became involved with, knew about one another and I was lucky enough to have fulfilling interactions without hurt feelings. We were young and exploring so there were never any hard feelings. Upon graduation, I found it quite difficult to find suitable employment due to both, ‘lack of experience’ because of my age and ‘over qualification’ due to my degree. It prompted me to enlist in the military if I wanted to succeed further in life with promise of travel and gaining rank based on merit. Against my mother’s wishes, I joined the Army and less than 6 months into my contract, I was deployed to Balad, Iraq after graduating Airborne School. I guess you can say I was the perfect Soldier. Army life was similar to that of being a student-athlete. I understood the mission as well as what was expected of me as a servicewoman under contract. Once again, I soared in my purpose mentally and physically and I guess you can say, I was the perfect Soldier. Beautiful, young, smart, driven & athletic. A trained animal as some might view it. The day I met mv husband was the first day of the rest of my life. Cliche as it might sound, it’s true. I was 22, new in the service and recently deployed to a war zone. He was senior enlisted, and a southern gentleman deployed to another unit on the same fob. He made my experience a more comfortable one from the moment we met. The sex is what solidified my commitment to him. He accepted me for who I was and did not shy away from my beliefs of ethical non-monogamy. The best way to describe it, was that I found love in War. He proposed 8 months later, and we were married at the Justice of the Peace right outside of Ft Benning, GA after I returned from my deployment a year after our first date.
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Photo courtesy of K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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Over the next few years, we explored our newly joined sexual freedom and relations through experiences our travels allotted us. We met so many beautiful people and experienced so many different ways to push the limits on our trust and loyalty to each other. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it. I was more experienced in this field as I was a self-proclaimed Unicorn ever since finding myself in college. I had various interactions with other couples as their “plus one” as well as having long term lesbian relationships. It was my honor being a mentor to the man I loved the most. The lifestyle that I lived, required sexual openness and alternative love. I had someone that I saw a clear future within terms of having a complete mind, body, soul fulfillment. Six years into our marriage, my husband submitted his papers for retirement. Soon after, we discovered we were pregnant with our first son together.I decided at that point, my time in the military wouldn’t be the same without my husband and I was discharged a month apart from him. Looked like our days of playing would be put on hold for a bit. But for great reason. At this point, anyone would think life right after the military would be peaches and rainbows.
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Photo courtesy of K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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Unfortunately, at my 20-week pre-natal visit, my doctor noticed an abnormality with my baby’s heart. I was referred to a cardiac specialist immediately. The news we received following was devastating. Legitimately heart breaking – pun intended. The baby that I’ve been wanting for so long with the man I loved the most in this world, had a congenital heart disease called HLHS better known as Hyper-plastic Left Heart Syndrome. In layman’s terms, our miracle baby only had half of a heart. What makes this even worse is that there is no known cause, and it occurs in every 1 in 100,000 births. How could this happen to us? 74 days…1,776 hours of the most painful experience that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. From the time our son was born, he spent every second of his life in the cardiac ICU with me by his side.
My husband found refuge in culinary school, educating himself on meals specific for our son’s condition. He wanted to cook for his heart so to speak. Unfortunately, our son’s heart was too sick to obtain reparative surgery. We were informed that, an entirely new heart would be his only saving grace. Can you imagine the mental and spiritual struggle of waiting for a newborn to die just to save my own son?! On day 74, our Heart Warrior lost his battle and gained his wings. I died inside on that cloudy morning and to this day, I never saw the world the same.
In 2016, my life officially ended, and my world began. I decided to take my life’s purpose into my own hands. My husband and I founded a full-service catering company named after our late son. Our mission focus was strictly to spread joy by creating customized plates specifically for your pallets straight from the heart. Using recipes from my Caribbean background and from my husband’s Louisiana heritage, we turned our tragedy into a culinary love story.
2017 was an even better year as we started an audio-visual production company known for distributing silent disco headphones and equipment to clients all over the world. Silent parties are for attendees to listen to tunes only they can hear. Various activity’s such as festivals, silent yoga, spin class, walking tours, wedding receptions and even corporate conferences with companies such as Amazon World Services, FOX Studios, and even ONE Music Fest to name a few of our major corporate clients. We also house a division of disc jockeys managed and contracted to be the gatekeepers of the vibes in any event setting.
We kept ourselves booked and busy. That same year I gave birth to then oldest of my beautiful daughters. Two years later, I had my third child another girl to keep us engulfed in parenthood. Sometimes, I still wonder how I can I keep going… But then I think, who else is going to do it?As I climb up the tree to success, I keep telling myself the answer is at the top waiting on me. I know you’re wondering. When did we ever have to play? We couldn’t.
Between juggling two successful business, two toddlers and managing a private chef for a husband, I had no time to indulge in my deepest and darkest desires. I had to keep my impulses at bay for the sake of healing and enjoying another chance at motherhood.It doesn’t mean that we’d treat ourselves a few times over our multiyear break from the lifestyle.Every once in a while, we’d get a certain itch to release all of the pent-up energy and go on the hunt for some fresh meat. My husband was always better at the introductions, the small talk. I’m so much better in person because at that point, I would have already made up my mind to take our encounter to the next level or not.
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Photo courtesy of K. Nicole, Copyright 2023
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Fast forward the last 24 months. We lived in Mexico for a year expanding our businesses and giving our daughters a different experience as their love for travel grew.We have expanded our companies to include Atlanta, its surrounding states, the Treasure Coast and South Florida.It has been a true blessing to meet so many people from various countries and backgrounds along the way. The lifestyle internationally is unmatched. My most favorite aspect about our escapades hands down include traveling to foreign islands and meet couples or Unicorns blindly. Who doesn’t love a good one-night stand? Upon our return to stateside my husband and I learned so much more about ourselves and each other than we did our entire 14 years together. We realized how much we love to see our partner genuinely happy. May it be with someone else or each other.We are best friends first, and we are each other’s wingman for life. It gives me such a great pleasure to see my husband pleasing other women. Most of the time, we’ll rendezvous with the most fascinating individuals as I sit back and enjoy the show. Our online lifestyle profiles are filled with amazing couples that we maintain personal relationships with to this day.
Not too long ago, the introduction of our lifestyle brand Good Vibes Only has become my main focus. With popularity growing, we used our platform as a way to fuse an upscale vibe with casual conversation amongst a group of likeminded couples, unicorns and select singles. We host a series of lifestyle meet & greets in classy locations providing attendees with the opportunity to enjoy a date night to explore on their own pace without the pressures to play if not ready. It’s exciting to see new and familiar faces we have the pleasure of meeting at our events every month. No matter the state, when we post an event, the response is overwhelming.
The more people we meet on our journey, the more I learn about the sexual natures of others and my own limits as a woman, a wife and a mother.Fun fact, my friends call me Agent K, short for K Nicole. One side of me is a dominating sexual deviant force while the other just wants to spread love and connect positive energies.Every story matters. Maybe mine can be a reference for any woman feeling like she can’t have it all, but today I write this as a testament that it can be done. It boils down to how big is the fire fueling the journey to her big picture.
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Editor’s Note: This is K. Nicole’s first contribution to Tony Ward Studio.
We invite you to join us for an exploration of human vulnerability and the timeless beauty of the unadorned form. “OBSESSIONS” is an ode to the human spirit, a celebration of the profound authenticity that lies with us.
Since birth I was involved in the visual arts and the spirit of creativity. My parents Ellen Powell Tiberino and Joe Tiberino, both had distinguished visual art careers. As a child, I always worked at home as an artist and attended classes at Fleisher Art Memorial.Over the past twentyyears I have been inspired and I’ve developed as a prominent artist. The largest part of my inspiration was in finding my medium. I truly enjoy working with stained glass and the entire process is a very soothing, almost a religious experience for me. From choosing the different rich colors of glass panes, then cutting and moving the glass pieces around until they work just right, to seeing the finished product emerge after grouting. I work with the stained glass in a method of mosaic that I would equate to painting with glass. It is a very thought out and precise. I like the colors of the stained glass to flow. Nature is one of my biggest inspirations, in which I am constantly amazed and astounded by the natural world around me, and I seek to glorify it in my artwork.
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Artwork by Ellen Tiberino. Copyright 2023
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As an African American mosaic artist from a prominent artist family in West Philadelphia, my connection to the community I create for, create with, and represent is rooted in my focus on cultural preservation, restoration, and racial justice. Through community-driven mosaic and ceramic practices, I aim to empower communities by providing a platform for them to share their unique narratives.
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Artwork by Ellen Tiberino. Copyright 2023
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My work is deeply informed by the experiences of the community. Their stories, struggles, and aspirations shape my artistic approach and the messages conveyed through my art. By actively engaging community members in my creative process, I ensure that their voices are heard, and their perspectives are authentically represented.
Notable examples of my work demonstrate this commitment. For instance, conducting a workshop and creating a permanent installation at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) to commemorate MLK Day in March 2023, allowed me to integrate the insights and experiences of the PAFA community, fostering a sense of collective ownership and representation.
Installing the mural titled “Opposing Forces” in Suburban Station in 2021 with the support of Color Me Back Participants provided valuable opportunities to connect with diverse audiences and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. These interactions influenced my artistic approach and further fueled my commitment to social change and cultural preservation.
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Artwork by Ellen Tiberino. Copyright 2023
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Facilitating mosaic workshops and installations at Bartram’s Garden allowed me to directly engage with the community. These endeavors empowered individuals, facilitated meaningful connections, and contributed to positive social change through art.
In summary, my connection to the community I create for, create with, and represent is driven by my dedication to cultural preservation, restoration, and racial justice. By integrating the community’s experiences into my artwork and actively involving them in the creative process, I empower individuals, promote social change, and foster meaningful connections through Art.
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Editor’s Note: Ellen Tiberino will be exhibiting in September at Ultra Silk Gallery, 3808 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, and will run until the first week in October. The opening will be from 5 to 8 PM on Friday, September 8th. For details contact: UltraSilkgallery@gmail.com, and the phone number is 215-824-6656.
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Artwork by Ellen Powel Tiberino, Copyright 2023
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The theme of the show is empowering women, the strength of women. Ellen will be exhibiting works along side seven female artists including her mother, Ellen Powell Tiberino.
