David A. Carter

I was Born on March 4th, 1957 to Lavon and Craig Carter at L.D.S. Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, home to some of the best powder skiing in the world. I have been an artist and a skier ever since. I was reared in Bountiful, Utah. I attended Adelaide Elementary, South Davis Junior High and graduated by the skin of my teeth from Viewmont High-school in 1975. I attended Utah State University, in Logan, Utah, on an art scholarship. While at USU I studied illustration and art. When my money ran out I moved back to Salt Lake City where I worked in the graphic design and advertising business until 1980. In 1980 I moved to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune or at least a good job. After working many jobs as a graphic designer and paste up artist, I went to work for Waldo Hunt at Intervisual Communications Inc.. Over the next 7 years, while working with I.C.I.’s creative director Jim Diaz and various other artists such as David Pelham, Jan Pienkowski and John Strejan, I learned the fine art of Paper-Engineering and Pop-Up bookmaking. I created HOW MANY BUGS IN A BOX? while at I.C.I. and I also met my wife, Noelle, there. We were married in 1985. I left I.C.I. in 1987 to start my own business. Since then I have created more than 85 pop-up books, including the Bugs in a Box series with US and international sales of over 6.5 million copies, EASTER BUGS which was a New York Times #1 best seller for three years in a row, THE ELEMENTS OF POP-UP which was chosen as an ALA pick of the list, ONE RED DOT which was awarded the Andersen award in Italy, 600 BLACK SPOTS and WHITE NOISE which were picked as one of the 10 best illustrated books of 2007 and 2009 by the New York Times Book Review. In 1989 our first daughter, Molly, was born. In 1990 we moved from Santa Monica to Auburn, California and in 1993 our second daughter, Emma, was born. I work hard so that I can ski, ride roller coasters, collect wine, grow vegetables and native plants, and travel. I believe that art is entertainment and I hope my art tickles your mind. —David Carter