About Caricature Artist, Kenn White
Kenn White received his graphic design and illustration education at Red River College in Manitoba, Canada. After graduation he periodically substituted for one of his college instructors at local Winnipeg caricaturing gigs. He further honed his caricaturing skills through free-lance illustration jobs like the Winnipeg Sun's Sunday Magazine cover for the 1988 provincial election and his comic strip art skills with his weekly, Thelma McGuffy. It was not until the summer of 2002 Kenn's live caricaturing skills were sharpened.
"Between graphic design positions I hung out my shingle at the province's crown jewel The Forks Market in Winnipeg, Manitoba as Butch the Caricature Artist. This was baptism by fire for me. It was exhausting, but very rewarding. This was the summer I learned to nail it every time. "
This was also the year the Golden Boy statue was re-gilded inside a giant climate-controlled enclosure for all Forks visitors to see. Kenn's caricature booth was just a few paces away from the Golden Boy.
Kenn returned to graphic design in the autumn of that year, but kept his caricaturing business going because, "Live event caricaturing is very gratifying. My subjects are genuinely amazed and beside themselves with excitement. I also discovered during the summer of 2002 that I'm a real people person."
Illustration is done in an isolated studio away from people where event caricaturing is a public event. "Like a comedy writer leaving his typewriter and stepping out to do standup, I'm putting myself out there too."
However, Kenn does return to his studio to work on custom caricatures. This is the other side of the business where people send him digital pictures to be drawn into birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding and retirement gifts.
Kenn's caricaturing style is not severe: "It's not a challenge to let the ink fly and blow faces out of proportion. It's a greater challenge to hold back and find a balance between flattery and truth."
Kenn was methodically honed his style to exaggerate his subjects' unique facial quirks just enough to tickle their funny bone. "I'm not an extremist. I do not take pleasure in putting people down - it's not who I am. I prefer to lift people up."
Kenn operates his caricaturing business, Awe Caricature Art, under the Awe Creative umbrella, his graphic design and illustration studio.
