Charles Burns began his career as a silhouettist after leaving art college, by working as a street-portrait artist in Covent Garden. Initially drawing ten-minute pencil portraits, he later took up cutting silhouettes out of pure curiosity.

“I just wanted to see f I could do it, but silhouettes rapidly took over my life!”

Charles embarked on a career as an artist/entertainer, demonstrating his silhouette at events all over the UK. He has cut three portraits of the Queen as well Presidents Clinton and Mandela, and many other well-known faces.

Working from his Emmer-Green studio he combines this wandering lifestyle with an ongoing fine-art practice based on drawing, painting and, more recenlty, paper cutting.

During the Coronavirus crisis, finding all his upcoming events cancelled, Charles naturally turned to online conferencing as a way to continue working as an artist, creating a series of virtual-studio days which he described as “digital street art”.

He has also embarked on a series of new experimental paper cuttings based on portraiture and silhouette.

Charles dreams of using his virtual studio to bring his work to a truly worldwide audience. He feels that everybody should have their silhouette cut at least once!

Click here to view the collection

Email: charles@silhouettist.uk
Virtual Studio: www.silhouettist.uk
Art Gallery: www.charlesburns.co.uk
Instagram / FB / LinkedIn / YouTube: @silhouettist