"My Life My Leaf" William Stok
William Stok is a British-Italian contemporary artist, painter, draughtsman, sculptor and educator associated with Blackhorse Lane Studios in Walthamstow, East London through the Barbican Arts Group Trust (BAGT). He is one of the founding members of BAGT, having joined in 1972, and currently works from Blackhorse Lane Studios.
Born in Rome, Stok has spent much of his artistic and teaching career between Italy and the UK. During the 1960s he became known for graphic drawings created for the counterculture publications International Times and Oz Magazine.
His practice spans: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, film, public commissions, curatorial and educational work.
William Stok’s work is widely exhibited internationally, and his artworks are held in collections including: the Tate Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Academia Italiana, Blum Gallery, New York, Koppelman Gallery, Cologne, private collections including King Charles III and actor Jim Broadbent.
A notable later body of work emerged after he suffered a detached retina that affected his ability to read. During this period he began making rapid biro sketches while travelling on the London Underground, which later evolved into coloured crayon drawings. His BAGT Editions #1 print Soft Words derives from this series.