On his first test in computer science, Surette got a 34. “I was thoroughly frustrated as a computer major,” he recalls. “My advisor said, ‘you don’t belong in this.’ He was probably right, but I was driven to try it.”

He managed to earn his computer science degree, and, after graduating, Surette worked briefly for a video game company. Then he had what he refers to as “a searching experience.” “For a while, I scratched together any little jobs I could get: restoring old photographs, driving an ice cream truck, delivering newspapers, drawing portraits on commission... I found a company that was looking for an artist to illustrate a couple of kids’ science textbooks.”

The springboard for his career came when he did a live performance painting of Jesus Christ at a youth ministry retreat. “I had all kinds of lights up on a hill, and cars stopped on the road. It was a huge hit. I couldn’t believe the way the kids were reacting. After that, I was on fire to do something unique and creative in front of people,” he says.

He took out a loan, sent out mailings, and started practicing... and practicing. He paints hundreds of celebrities and historical figures, and has done most of them “about 4,000 times.” His constantly expanding Amazing Hero Art repertoire includes movie stars, sports stars, musicians, TV celebrities, and politicians. He recently added the casts of Friends and The Lord of the Rings .

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