Carl David Ruttan was born in 1976 in Oshawa, Ontario. He studied fine art at the University of Ottawa, completing his Bachelors of Fine Art in 2000. He has traveled in Asia, North America, Europe and on numerous islands of the Caribbean and South Pacific. Carl settled in Montreal in 2001 after his first trip to Asia. Ruttan is an active member of both the printmaking workshop Atelier Circulaire and Montreal artist-run centre articule. A book about his collage practice, Printoptik, was published by Maison Kasini in 2011.