Charles Burns

Charles Burns began his career as a street artist. He worked for 12 years at London’s Covent Garden market, drawing 10-minute pencil portraits for tourists and Londoners alike. Charles made this choice out of a profound feeling that he was unemployable. Describing himself as “one of nature’s natural self employed,” he felt that he was constitutionally incapable of handling the social pressures of a more conventional work environment.

Whilst in Covent Garden, Charles taught himself the lost art of the silhouettist: the art of cutting black-paper, profile portraits freehand with scissors. He did this by visiting the National Portrait Gallery, on rainy days, and obsessively copying the silhouettes in their collection, until he mastered the technique and began cutting them on the street. Seeing his silhouettes, people began booking him for parties and events. Soon, silhouettes started to take over his life.

In his early 40s, Charles was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome – a form of autism – an event which he describes as surprisingly empowering. It gave him a new direction, answering many questions about his childhood development and about his feeling of being unemployable. He embarked on a program of self improvement in order to ...

Ampleforth College
Exeter College of Art (Foundation course)
Wolverhampton Art College (Fine Art BA, Painting, 1st class)

SGFA Centenary Exhibition: Bankside gallery, London, 3 - 16 June 2019
"And Gather", Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury, 13 May - 29 June 2019