Washington DC based architect and photographer James Stokoe, AIA–has been engaged in these complementary pursuits for more than forty years. His graduate architectural thesis project (1976) was a photographic exploration of 19thcentury decorative brickwork that was published by Dover Books (1982). As a fellow at the American Academy in Rome (1978-79), Mr. Stokoe continued to use photography to explore materials and ornament in architecture.
In 2008, he mounted an exhibit of his photographs at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Headquarters Gallery. This exhibit, “The Architecture of Construction,” was the beginning of a focus on the role of happenstance in the creation of architectural form. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020100919.html
Mr. Stokoe has been exploring digital over-printing as a “chance procedure” since 2011. In many ways, his photography is informed by his experiences with printmaking in studio courses led by the St. Louis artist and educator, Lesley Laskey. His recent studio work is also influenced by physical objects such as salvaged wood foundry patterns and the material legacy of his grandmother, a painter, and his grandfather an industrial designer.
