Kevin Tschetter

KEVIN TSCHETTER

Born in Calgary, Alberta in 1973, Kevin Tschetter moved to Souris Manitoba before he could even remember. Souris was always home to him.

From an early age, Kevin developed an interest in art, particularly comic book/fantasy art. While other kids his age were playing hockey and other sports, his interests lay in cinema, following him into adulthood.

The only place in Souris that sold comic books was the pharmacy. Kevin would go there every Saturday morning and buy the latest editions of X-Men, Spider-Man or Batman. At an early age, because of his limited allowance, Kevin had to curb what he was able to collect. But once he got a paper route and had his own income, he was able to branch out. His sister would take him to the comic book store in Brandon where he discovered many more titles. Comic book stores are still Kevin’s favorite store!

Weekends were spent with friends, pencils and pads, creating their own comic characters. It was at this point that Kevin developed a love for drawing, although he jokes that he was born with it. Many hours were also spent reading comic books and Mad magazine, which had a huge influence on Kevin’s early work.

Movies, parodies and cartoons also had a hand in shaping his work. Kevin’s art has always been tied with cinema. A few years ago, he began to display his art pieces at the Boissevain Community Theatre.

Another major influence was the discovery of an artist named Frank Frazetta. Kevin would spend hours looking at Frazetta’s art. Without the ease of the internet in those days, Kevin had to buy magazines with Frazetta’s artwork in it.

Right out of high school, Kevin entered a correspondence art course. The course was designed to give basic knowledge first and then more challenging work along the way. Kevin did well but found the process wasn’t structured enough to hold his interest and after about a year, he quit.

When Kevin had kids, he drew and painted a lot for them. He would paint murals on their walls which people would see and ask for custom jobs. Later on, he began to paint on canvas panels and started to sell the odd painting or take commissions for custom jobs. This was a great learning experience and gave Kevin the confidence to try things that he wouldn’t normally do.

Kevin also used to do a lot of caricatures of movie characters or wrestlers, another obsession. But as it turns out, he was not alone. Entire conventions are designed for thousands of people with these same interests. Kevin has been an exhibitor at a few of these shows which has been a dream of his for years.

It is with great pleasure that Kevin can show the community some of his work and he truly hopes that they enjoy it all.