Charles Clary
About the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book: Create! Magazine is honored to celebrate a decade of contemporary art by publishing a look back at previously selected artists: their achievements, career growth, and more since being published. Stay tuned for the book launch in fall 2026, and join our newsletter to stay up to date.
Charles Clary (he/him),eatured in both Create! Magazine and the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book, was born in 1980 in Morristown, Tennessee. He received his BFA in painting with honors from Middle Tennessee State University and his MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
He has shown in exhibitions at Galerie Evolution-Pierre Cardin in Paris, France; The Netherlands’ CODA Museum Paper Biennial in 2021; The Shanghai Paper Biennial in 2021; Art of Paper Fair in New York City; and many other international, national, and regional juried, group, solo, and museum exhibitions.
Clary won Top Prize at the 2016 ArtFields Competition in Lake City, SC, and in 2019 he won both the People’s Choice Award for 2D and the Merit Prize at ArtFields. He has also been named the South Arts 2024 South Carolina State Fellow and the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellow in Visual Arts for 2026.
He recently sold three commissioned pieces to Google corporate offices, and he was named the HTC Distinguished Teacher-Scholar at Coastal Carolina University in 2022, the highest award bestowed upon a faculty member by the university.
Clary has been featured in numerous print and Internet interviews, including Create! Magazine, Candyfloss, This is Colossal, WIRED Magazine (US and UK), Hi-Fructose, Beautiful Bizarre, and Bluecanvas Magazine. He has also been featured in publications including Paper Art III, 500 Paper Objects, Paper Works, Paper Art, Papercraft 2, and PUSH: Paper.
Artist Statement
"Text-I-Monials" is a series that explores colorful patterning and pithy phrases through the delicate process of hand-cut paper, engaging with the rich history of hand lettering. The process of hand-cut and layered paper sculptures adds both literal and metaphorical depth to everyday exclamations and tongue-in-cheek comebacks.
Pulling from classic Southern charm and universal expressions of discovery and dismay, "Text-I-Monials" is a playful yet poignant excavation of Southern vernacular. What began as a random departure into typography has evolved into a revelation on the currency of language—easily dispersed, yet carrying lightness and value in every interaction.
Charlesclary.com
