“In the Shadow Series I am attempting, like children, to combine the shadows of the eye and spirit, giving mental and spiritual experiences a form of tangibility — a virtually impossible task which will probably remain forever as visual speculation without hope of fi nding an acceptable solution,” said Stanley Greaves, in a statement about his work.

“Unlike literature and drama, in painting, exploring this realm of emotional, often irrational, states of the mind becomes a diffi cult enterprise well understood by the Surrealist School,” said Greaves.

According to Greaves, the tool of exploration that must be used here tends to become visual allegories or other forms of symbolism that are used in a highly personalized manner. The paintings hold some form of narration, however, there is no defi nite ending. Shadows Move Among Them displays conjecture, or the formation for the expression of opinion or theory without evidence for proof, the drama to spaces and dimensions that reach outside the space within the picture.

Both the first and second series of Shadows Move Among Them are dedicated to Edgar Mittelholzer, a Caribbean author, who wrote a novel entitled Shadows Move Among Them. Greaves’s first set of artwork in the series was shown on the island of Barbados.

“At the end of this, the second series of the Shadow paintings, I am left to consider that coming to terms with the intangible is still elusive — the true history of mankind perhaps. My perception of the intangible becomes a vision lying on the edge of some strange horizon and my search will have to follow the lead of the spectrum shadows becoming shadows of the soul,” Greaves said.

Greaves’ works will be on display at the Fayetteville Museum of Art from May 8 through July 11 and the museum has been working with Greaves on this exhibition for more than a year and a half. Greaves was originally a patron of the museum and through dialogue and submission of an application the studio reviewed his work and decided to display it. The artwork will essentially be exploring two dimensional shadows of the human condition and will consist of twenty-three pieces.

On Saturday, May 8 at 7 p.m. the premier party for the exhibit will take place at the Fayetteville Museum of Art.

“This is another example of bringing contemporary work of a living artist to our community and the diversity within our community,” said Michele Horn, assistant director and curator for the Fayetteville Museum of Art.

Greaves is a native of the Republic of Guyana and he served as the fi rst head of the Division of Creative Arts at the University of Guyana.

All artists can ask to have their artwork displayed by sending a copy of their portfolio to the museum and a request form. If chosen, the artwork will be on display generally for six to eight weeks.