Ed Pokoj was born in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo was Ed's home from his birth through his high school years during which he attended St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. It was here that Ed made his decision to pursue the arts professionally, undoubtedly because of the encouragement he received from his family, friends, and teachers. Ed moved to Richmond, Virginia in 2011 to study Graphic Design at VCU...where he changed paths and studied Animation, Video Art, and Sound Design. After a semester abroad in Bristol, England, studying stop-motion animation, Ed returned to Richmond where he lives to this day. Ed Pokoj is an illustrator, animator, and puppet creator. He can really best be described as a visual storyteller. He has been working in illustration since 2015. With inspiration drawn from classic kids books and comic art to stop motion animation and music. . . lots of music, his work has lead him down some interesting roads. In 2017, he illustrated his first children's picture book, What Does A Princess Really Look Like? by Mark Loewen, as well as the coloring book that went along with it. Music, and his caffeinated buddy Ajay Brewer, inspired him to create two Hip-Hop-themed coloring books and a gallery show at The Well Art Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. He also had the opportunity to work on projects that have been of the larger variety; a mural for Chapel RVA, banners with Scout Design that have been hanging in downtown Richmond since 2017, and a giant bamboo horse named Ody The Outsider at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design.
