Aces of Trades: Kevin Tackett painting guitars with band themes - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin

It took some time but he’s doing what he loves.

“Growing up,” recalled Kevin Tackett, “with my parents' influence, I loved art and computers and debated going into computer graphics but decided on commercial art in the end.”

Today, Tackett is an artist extraordinaire.

“When it comes to art, I love it all,” he said. “Like a gnat, I drift from one art form to another. My personal unique sculptures are tribal figures made from sticks, string, clay and other various curiosities I find. I’ve made a sculpture for the Delaware art park (Boardman Arts Park), which is called the ‘octopus under the sea.’ I’ve painted two of the cardinals downtown − the Oorang Indians and the courthouse cardinals .

“I’m currently painting guitars,” he added, “with specific band themes, like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the blues, etc. I also design paintings over broken records and make small guitars on boards, made from broken records and other various objects.”

“As you can see,” he noted, “I jump around a lot.”

Art put on hold after college

Tackett grew up on Henry Street in Marion and went to Harding High School.

“Mrs. Felgar was my art teacher and influence,” he said.

In 1987 he attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

“I returned to Marion,” he said, “and had a career as a corrections officer at NCCI and MCI until I had to retire.

“After over 20 years on hiatus from my serious art,” he said, “I was in St. Simons Island when I ran across an artist. After talking with her, I regained my art motivation and began painting and sculpting.”

Anne Quilter is president of the Mid-Ohio Fine Art Society and a retired art teacher for Marion City Schools.

He 'works a guitar like no other visual artist I know'

“Kevin works passionately at his art,” Quilter said, “researching the fine details and small nuances of his subject matter. Kevin works successfully in a multitude of media, 2D as well as 3D. His is a unique approach to fine art as he mixes media and style in any given piece. His 3D pieces amaze me with his attention to detail and high quality craftsmanship. Kevin works a guitar like no other visual artist I know. They truly are amazing and need to be seen to be appreciated.”

“What I’m doing now is how I saw myself when I was young,” Tackett said. “But sometimes life has other plans. In the end I’m happy with my art and where life has led me.”

For more information about the artwork of Kevin Tackett, visit Facebook .

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com .

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Aces of Trades: Kevin Tackett painting guitars with band themes - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin