ST. GEORGE — While his art may be constructed out of cardboard, this artist’s skills extend far outside the box.
From detailed steampunk velociraptors to dragons and eight-legged spiders, cardboard artist Charlie Pulsipher is setting himself apart in the art world. But he’s not just an artist, he’s also a published author and he plans to keep it that way.
“It’s very meditative,” Pulsipher said about his art. “I’ll just sit and put something on Netflix that I’ve seen before and create.”
Each of his cardboard pieces takes anywhere from 10 to 40 hours to complete. At first glance, Pulsipher said many people think this is 3D printed art. But all of his work – down to the tiniest of details – is cut and placed individually by hand. Some of his pieces also include tissue paper, while others have a button that lights up the artwork, bringing it to life.
Because he’s near-sided, Pulsipher said he doesn’t use a magnifying glass to create details and instead takes his glasses off and uses small instruments for the cutting and placement.
But how did the concept of cardboard art come to be?
Pulsipher had a desire to be an artist at a young age, and was placed in a gifted art class in the third grade. The class allowed him to explore a variety of mediums, where he learned he loved pen, pencil and charcoal art. After winning a few second-place prizes, he didn’t feel his art was going anywhere, so he decided to focus on other things, like becoming an author.
“The first series I have out is kind of Lord of the Rings meets Stargate,” he said. “So it’s a blend of science fiction and fantasy. My second series is a portal fantasy and it’s kind of the Wizard of Oz, if the wizard was a genocidal maniac.”
Pulsipher currently has seven books out and has ghostwritten four others. He is working on the second and third books of his new series and has also written a short zombie survival guide with his own illustrations. See a full list of his publications on Amazon.
“Ideas keep coming to me so I have about seven books that I’ve started,” he said. “All of my books come to me from dreams that are very interesting and detailed. I wake up with that in my head and they’re never about me, it’s like I’m this character living this out.”
Writing his own books led to a career in copywriting and marketing. While working on a video script for a project one day, he had the idea to use cardboard puppetry and props, which he pitched to the owners.
“And they hated it,” he said. “They were like, it sounds like you’re going to put trash in front of the audience.”
To prove his concept, he went home and made a cardboard tractor. He brought it back to the office and rolled it out on the table. The owners loved it, and he ended up making all the remaining props with cardboard. And that sparked an idea. If he could make cardboard art large, why couldn’t he make them extra small?
After completing the film project, he made his first small-scale cardboard dragon.
“That was the first time what I had in my head came out when I was making art,” he said. “So it just kind of clicked.”
He continued making more cardboard art and brought them along to his writing conferences. He also sold them at Comic-Con before being the first artist ever showcased at Art Provides in downtown St. George – where his art exhibit still resides.
“He was my first artist,” Art Provides Owner Elizabeth Gunter said about Pulsipher’s art. “You see the photos from across the room and then you see this piece in front of it, and your brain does this thing, like wait, what?”
It’s been 10 years since he made his first cardboard creation, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Currently working on a new tiny dragon, he also takes on custom commission projects.
For more information on Charlie Pulsipher and to purchase his art, visit his website, find him on Instagram, or send him a friend request on Facebook.
See his art in person at Art Provides Gallery & Studio at 35 N Main St #306 in St. George, upstairs from Gallery 35.
Photo Gallery
Cardboard art by Charlie Pulsipher features a house with shutters and a swing, St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist and author Charlie Pulsipher poses next to his art exhibit at Art Provides in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Cardboard art is worked on by Charlie Pulsipher in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A handmade cardboard dragon by Charlie Pulsipher is pictured at Art Provides in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist and author Charlie Pulsipher poses next to his art exhibit at Art Provides in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A cardboard spider by Charlie Pulsipher climbs its web, St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Handmade art by Charlie Pulsipher features tissue paper and cardboard, St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist and author Charlie Pulsipher poses next to his art exhibit at Art Provides in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A cardboard dragon by Charlie Pulsipher lights up, St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A handmade cardboard dragon by Charlie Pulsipher is pictured at Art Provides in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Cardboard art by Charlie Pulsipher is shown in St. George, Utah, June 28, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Cardboard art by Charlie Pulsipher features a steampunk velociraptor, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Charlie Pulsipher, St. George News
Cardboard art by Charlie Pulsipher features a steampunk velociraptor, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Charlie Pulsipher, St. George News
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