Older Works, New Eyes

by Stanwyck E. Cromwell

Ghanaian artist El Anatsui once offered a thought that feels especially meaningful to me as an older, seasoned artist:

"New wood has poetry locked in it. Old wood is poetry itself, time having worn off its prose."(From “Old and New" (published in El Anatsui’s studio notes).

I echo and believe this sentiment because, as an older and seasoned artist who has been creating art for over five decades, I find it applicable to artists of a certain age and generation. While I believe artists should remain dedicated to their craft, I do not believe older artists should feel compelled to constantly create new bodies of work in order to maintain relevance.

Lately, I have been drawn to my older works, mostly through feelings of nostalgia, and I continue to use them as inspiration for my new works. At the time of their completion, I was not sure how I felt about them. But over the years, I began to reconnect with them and to review them through a different lens.

It is like meeting people to whom we were not instantly drawn, but over the years, as we have grown, we learn to appreciate them more and more

The same can be said of the value of artwork. New works do not necessarily mean an upgrade in quality. Some older works carry more value because of the equity attached to them, together with the experience of the artist and the condition of the pieces.

Title - Jazz In The Park

Title - Vendors At Sunset 

Top image: Enigmatic Palette - Medium - Oli on palette - Size - 24" - Year - 2009

Image #2: Jazz In The Park - Medium - Graphite & color pencil - Size - 30" x 40" - Year 1990

Image #3: Vendors At Sunset - Medium - Oil on canvas - Size - 24" x 36" - Year - 2002

Stanwyck E. Cromwell is a Guyanese mixed medium painter and a member of Weusi Artist Collective