I am a Guyanese-born contemporary visual artist and an Adjunct Professor, who have lived and worked in the United States of America, for the vast majority of my adult life. Despite my lengthy absence from my country of origin, my memories of Guyana, are rich and abundant, but the most striking are the physical and aesthetic distances, between the cultures of Guyana and the United States of America. A visual kaleidoscope from this exotic place, is referenced in my art. These references serve as visual footnotes, to my artmaking practice, by allowing me a rich palette of sights, to draw from. Saturated colors, patterns and textures, reveal themselves in my art. Sometimes my subject matter is abstract forms, while other artworks are about self.


My self-portraits, are both autobiographical and mythical mirrors, through which I’m able to reflect on, from my past, by reminiscing about the Guyana, that I once knew as a child. The process of migration and adaption, have greatly affected my art, due to the geographical aesthetics, climatic, and also economical differences. In addition, language has been an important factor, as it pertains to visual clarity and understanding. Nevertheless, the mixtures of cultures, have been a major driving force, that has helped me in maintaining the vibrancy in my palette. For me personally, colors are linguistic, through which I’m able to express myself visually, in conversations, while engaging the viewer.


Wide noses and thick lips, are frequent in most of my work. I use the features, not as cultural stereotypes, but to emphasize the natural beauty of African features. I am drawn to these features and continue to use them in my work, because I find them, sculpturally strong, ruggedly handsome and spiritually connected to my work. Having migrated from another country, my work is a fusion of all of the cultures, that are a part of the fabric of America.

www.stancromwell.com