SPEND FIVE minutes with Wayne Tillett, and you’ll take something with you – a caricature commemorating a special event and a new way to see yourself.
An impulsive stop at his station results in more than a drawing exaggerating your strong features or sending your personality leaping off the page; it offers temporary escape from reality. “Nobody gets up in the morning wanting a caricature,” Wayne began. “I’m like the candy aisle. You don’t get out of bed to get a Snickers, but you’re at the store, and the candy bar is there, so you get it.”
The cartooning class clown landed his dream job as a caricature artist in 1987 with Nashville’s Opryland theme park. From there, Wayne worked in Orlando as an art director, then at Universal Studios Florida sketching forever keepsakes for park guests.
Next came New Jersey, where he worked a triangle of parks in the area: Lake Compounce in Connecticut; Six Flags Great America D.C., and The Jersey Shore in Ocean City. It was in New Jersey he married and began a family of three sons; eventually divorced; and later met and married his lovely wife, Lisa.
Circumstances eventually prompted what Wayne calls a “Beverly Hillbillies” move back to Tennessee.
Wayne took his hometown with him everywhere he worked; so much so that other artists at Universal Studios pleaded with him to stop talking so much about it. “It definitely gave me a sense of pride. Wherever my art career or life took me around the country, I guess that small town boy stayed with me.”
Happy to reconnect with roots and family, coming back to Tennessee was a dream come true. Wayne treasures the local landmarks, events, and natural beauty in Bedford County. “Perhaps most of all, horse show donuts!” Wayne added.
“Professionally speaking,” Wayne said, “being home has been amazing. I really thought my full-time caricature career was over, being so far away from the theme parks. I didn’t know that Nashville and Middle Tennessee were on the cusp of such a tourist boom. The calls started coming immediately.”
Wayne came full circle when he opened Music City Caricatures at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Sadly, his wife, Lisa, passed away a few years after moving to Tennessee, but he was so happy to have been able to give her the joy of living in Tennessee.
Wayne has written, illustrated, and published a children’s book available on Amazon, Where Do the Strawberries Grow, recounting John Lennon’s life inspired by Wayne’s visits to Central Park. He’s also a long-time Dr. Who fan and most recently a blogger documenting his Big Foot expeditions. At a recent Big Foot Festival in Gatlinburg, Wayne offered digital caricature for the first time and combined his two passions in a new way.
And no matter where his passions take him, Shelbyville and Bedford County will continue to go with him.-GN