Having made my way in life as a silhouettist for the last thirty years I find myself fascinated by the articulation of line to depict a human face, whether that line is cut or drawn. For me, the act of cutting paper with scissors is akin to any mark-making media, such as drawing with a pencil or painting with a brush. My recent work is an exploration of line – the relationship between drawing and cutting – always revolving around portraiture and the art of silhouette. I find the human outline (or silhouette) to be an endless source of inspiration and wonder.

Charles began his career, after leaving art college, by spending twelve years working as a street-portrait artist in London’s Covent Garden. It was a hard way to make a living. At the age of 40 he was diagnosed with an autistic-spectrum disorder, an event which he describes as the single most empowering moment of his life. Realising that his all-encompassing obsession with drawing and cutting silhouettes was a integral part of the condition, he decided to embrace it and make it the central theme of his art and life. Since then he has written a book and made a documentary film about the obscure English art of the silhouette portrait. He has amassed a huge study collection of antique silhouettes in order to analyse the work of past silhouettists. He three times cut the portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth, as well as numerous other notable people of our time. He continues to demonstrate the art of cutting silhouettes at events all over the world as well as offering talks and lectures on the subject. His current studio work comprise an exploration of fine-art applications of silhouette in a variety of media.