Kevin Tackett
Kevin Tackett doesn’t think he’s a good artist. Putting up his first small show at the Marion Brewing Company in Marion, Ohio, is a big deal for him. He doesn’t know if he would have done it without the encouragement of his wife of 23 years, Tonya Tackett. His daughter Jesstine, 27, is a Forensic Scientist, and his son Parker, 21, is a student at Bowling Green University. For 20 years, Kevin worked as a Corrections Officer in Ohio. Since his retirement, he has been more focused on his art. 43302 met Kevin at the brewery to talk about his work.
Both of Kevin’s parents, now deceased, were artists who encouraged Kevin to develop his skills in drawing, painting and sculpture from an early age. One technique his mother used was to draw a few lines on a piece of paper, then have Kevin finish the drawing, developing both his imagination and his drawing skills. His father, a longtime employee of Tecumseh Products in Marion, was an accomplished wood carver. After high school, Kevin attended the Art Institute of Pittsburg from 1987-1988, where he honed his abilities.
Loon Creek, acrylic on board. Winner of MOFAS (Mid Ohio Fine Arts Society) Award in 2018.
One of Kevin’s favorite things is to try new modes of creating art. In Wings of Annabelle, one of this writer’s favorites, he uses a pour method. This method is accomplished by mixing the acrylic paint with a base that repels rather than mixes with the paint. Then the solution is poured, spreading over the canvas in unpredictable and interesting ways. It’s easily seen in the sky portion of this painting, as well as in Black Bird, below.
Wings of Annabelle, acrylic pour on canvas
Black Bird, acrylic pour on canvas
“I have lived in Marion my entire life, except college. I have been doing artwork off and on my entire life. mainly as church projects, charity and the like. It wasn't until I was visiting my daughter on St. Simons Island that I really started seriously working at my art. It was there that I met a lady who was selling her artwork at a small shop in the Pier Village. After talking to her, I cleaned out my daughter's bedroom and turned it into an art studio. I started painting some acrylic paintings along with some crafts and had booths at various craft shows. After a couple of years of doing this I became disillusioned with the craft shows and spent all of my time exploring various art forms, but not doing much with my works. I entered paintings in the Popcorn festival art shows, and won a ribbon. I was recently invited to have my paintings displayed at the Marion Brewery, and my painted guitars and multimedia at Kellers Music.” - Kevin Tackett
In this next painting, displayed at Keller’s Music, Kevin finds a new way to create texture. Inspired by the thought of creating art from found items, he spotted some pieces of broken vinyl record which he laid out on the canvas before painting.
Dirty Deeds Motel, acrylic paint over pieces of broken vinyl records
Kevin works in other mediums, as well, such as water color, oil on canvas, fiberglass painting and sculpture. His work can be seen at the Marion Brewing Company at 151 South Main Street, Marion, Ohio, and Keller’s Music at 619 Delaware Ave., Marion, Ohio. Be sure to visit and like his Facebook page Kevin Tackett Arts. The display at the Brewery will be changing for the summer, so hurry in to view the current one!