Just Paper and Scissors
FOR NEARLY THIRTY YEARS Charles Burns, aka the Roving Artist, has been cutting silhouettes at weddings, corporate events and charity dos. Famous for the speed and accuracy of his scissor-cut portraits – as well as the enthusiasm with which he approaches them – his trademark surgical scissors are never far from his hand.
An ancient art brought back to life
Silhouette portraits first became popular during the Georgian and Regency periods (think Jane Jane Austen).
Today, anybody in the world can have their silhouettes cut by Charles, either via his virtual Zoom studio or by booking him to attend a meaningful event. Whether cut online or in person, you’ll be amazed by the speed and accuracy of his portraits, as well as the wit and charm with which they are made.
Charles has taken a musty, long-forgotten art and reinvented it as an engaging entertainment for the twenty-first century. His equipment – a pair of scissors and a pocketful of paper – hasn’t changed since Jane Austen’s time. His skill and presentation, on the other hand, is unmistakably fresh and modern. Watching Charles cut a silhouette is an object lesson in hand-eye coordination.
How did you discover you could do that?
How did you discover you could do that?
The Eighteenth Century Selfie
A video of Charles’ recent TEDx in Arendal, Norway, on The Eighteenth-Century Selfie. Please watch and like! The talk is 15-minutes long and features a live portrait of an audience member.
Charles’ Story
Beginning his career as a street portrait artist in London’s Covent Garden, Charles has since gone on to cut portraits of the Queen (three times now), President’s Clinton and Mandela and many other extraordinary people.
He achieved this primarily by focussing on the art of the silhouettist with unrelenting and laser-like determination. At the age of 40 he was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, an event which he describes as “strangely empowering”.
In this series of articles he tells the story in his own words.
My Puroland Silhouettes
WHEREVER I TRAVELin the world, I always try to meet other silhouette artists. There are not many of us and I’ve always felt it’s important to make a connection…
Typhoons and Silhouettes
MyJapanese mother in law was 96 years old when she passed away in the summer. She was fond of telling everybody that she was born in the same year…
Listening to my Ukrainian Silhouettes
Watching the news of Russian forces rolling into Ukraine a fortnight ago I was embarrassed to realise just how little I knew about the country. I had to look…
Should a silhouette really look like this?
When people ask, I tell them I accept any challenge. As an artistic philosophy I’d recommend it to anybody. I’ve frequently experienced unexpected but welcome benefits from testing my…
Can a shadow survive a fire?
IF YOU’VE EVER SEEN my film, or heard me speak, you will know the story of how I taught myself to cut silhouettes by studying the duplicate albums of…
