Gerry Stokes

Having always been creative and being inspired by winning an art prize at school, Gerry Stokes went on to attend Stourbridge College of Art, where he did a foundation course and a two year graphics course.

Gerry’s first job in the world of art took him to Chad Valley Toys art department, working alongside Len Pardoe, the originator of the ‘Chipper’ strip cartoon, which also inspired him to do a monthly strip cartoon in the Black Country Bugle. In the following years he held a position at a greetings card company, designing many greetings cards.

Gerry experimented with a number of mediums, which included watercolour, acrylics, oils, and pencil, at one stage also creating sculptures in clay, producing moulds from the originals, enabling him to replicate the original. At his last employment he created a sculpture using chicken wire and concrete which was entered into a competition in London where the figure was
photographed alongside Anthony Gormley.

Gerry is now concentrating his creative energy on the two mediums of oil and charcoal, though this last year has been mostly using charcoal, but is happy alternating between all the mediums of art which pique his interest at different times.