‘You have to define yourself’ says artist Stanley Greaves

Stanley Greaves cuts his birthday cake at a ceremony held in his honour at Castellani House last month.

By Mark McGowan

with photos by Arian Browne

Stanley Greaves is not your typical artist. In fact, he tries to avoid being labelled as one since he feels the term ‘artist’ has many popular conceptions and misconceptions which do not accurately reflect what he does. “You have to define yourself,” he says, while emphasizing the importance of not having people label you.

Greaves refers to himself as a “maker of things”; “I have always been making things,” he says.

This skill at making things has led to his paintings, sculptures, poems and other creations gaining him widespread recognition both regionally and internationally. But this did not happen