Br Raymond “Sketch” Gustafson has been an artist practically since he could hold a pencil. Drawing for him was a way to create friends and new worlds then as well as now. Sketch navigated through his Minnesota Technical schooling as Class Vice President and then Class President; packed up a vehicle and moved across country headed towards Disney World with a stop at a prestigious Art School hoping to add to his knowledge only to be turned away. Determined to follow his dream, he found a place to call home then applied at the Disney World Park hoping for the Animation Department and ending up in, wait for it … Food Service. Yes, starting in the Service side of Disney and transferring to the Character Department is pretty common. Some fantastic and heart-warming stories came out of being a Character at Disney World and eventually led to an interview into the Animation Department. Life happens and Sketch moved back ‘home’ where he met his wife through divine intervention; they celebrated their 20th Anniversary in, February 2022, and have remained in western Wisconsin since they met.

Sketch kept up drawing cartoons after leaving Disney and loves that he has complete creative control over his artwork. He started a comic strip called, Small Town Values, that mimicked his life with his family in a small town and ended up getting published in the local newspaper, publishing a few books based on that comic strip and created another comic strip, Falendor, that also has a few published books. Sketch’s goal was to always keep the humor family-friendly and that same principle has carried through on everything he creates, less shock and more cute. Sketch has also done public speaking at Schools, Library’s and 4-H groups over the years speaking about drawing and following your dreams.

Being involved in different jobs and a member of different organizations for an artistic mind keeps Sketch drawing and creating for all types of audiences and he has been hired by the Wisconsin Freemasons and the Local Shrine Organization to draw cartoons for their publications and most recently been hired by a company to draw light-hearted cartoons for businesses who deal in property recovery and restoration. Because he has so many artistic outlets, he created a website and grouped all of his interests and artwork into, KinniStudios.com, named after a local River.

Being connected to Masonic Organizations has been part of Sketch’s entire life, being brought up in DeMolay, his sisters in Jobs Daughters and his Father being a 33rd Degree Master Mason and Past Potentate of Minneapolis Zurah Shrine in 1974. His Grandparents were into Eastern Star being Worthy Matron and Patron of Richfield Lodge, Richfield, MN.

“I grew up around good men like these and I am proud to work side-by-side with them now…”

-Sketch

Following in his Fahters footsteps after joing Zor Shrine of Western Wisconsin, Sketch was asked to take a position on the Saint Croix Valley Shrine Club Board of Directors where he works with his peers at being a liaison between the organization and the Shriner’s Children’s Health Care facility in Woodbury, MN. When he recieved his appointment to the board he stated; ”I grew up around good men like these and I am proud to work side-by-side with them now for the betterment of children’s health care everywhere.”

Now spending his time between, Lodge, Chapter and the kids from The Hospital is a great honor for the Bloomington, MN born native. Who has been attending the Shriner’s summer camp program for the kids now for several years. ”I sit down with them, and you can feel the life LITERALLY radiating off of them, it’s a fantastic feeling and it’s VERY addicting.”

When at home you can find him in his office working creating new work for his clients but, everynow and then you can find him spending time sneaking in stories to his Granddaughter RaeLynn, another fan of his stories.

“I first met Sketch at a Masonic dinner and it didn’t take long for his power of observation and sense of humor to become apparent. Sketch has the ability to take the everyday and make it light hearted and take the vexing and make it humorous.”

Dave Ritchie 
Wisconsin Masonic Journal

“Sketch’s spontaneous humor allows him to take a thread of an idea and turn it around into an entertaining story, like I have never seen before.”

Milt Helmer, Helmer Printing

“He has the unique and uncanny ability to take the most mundane or unusual characteristics or situations and turn them into hilarious and to-the-point cartoons. He has been able to do this for situations, personalities, conflicts, challenges, and much more.”

Gary L Stang Grand Master Free and Accepted Masons of Wisconsin