Mosquito Joes

Kathy Buskett
Mar 20, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Apr 6, 2025

I am drawing caricatures at the barn at Hope farm in Fairhope.

This local extermination company, Mosquito Joe, has hired me for their tenth anniversary party.

It’s a smallish event. Maybe 75 people. But these are the lifeblood of this company.

I draw the owner Gail as well as the marketing people, the manager, and yes even exterminators. Without them there would be no Mosquito Joes.

This is a good company. I can tell. First of all they hired me. Companies who genuinely care about their employees well-being are the ones who hire caricatures for their events.

I can also tell because the owner, Gail, gets up and gives a heartfelt and tearful speech about how grateful she is for all of them and the success of their company.

One fella sits down to get drawn. He is an exterminator named Steve (I always introduce myself. This puts people at ease when I’m drawing them. So yes, I know his name).

Steve tells me that he is in the business of saving snakes.

I’m intrigued so I ask him what that means.

“I am called out to get rid of snakes all the time. In fact about 80% of my job is rehoming snakes. They’re usually just rat snakes.” I am glad there are people we can call who do this much-needed service. Shudder.

I also meet Casey who’s with the chamber of commerce. I hope to connect with her soon and I think that will hopefully help my own business.

She asks me about what I do and I tell her I’m a full-time caricature artist and that this is my real full-time job.

26 years! That’s a long time. Especially for a girl with ADHD. we get bored so easily that we don’t normally hold down jobs for this long. But my job takes me all kinds of places and to meet all kinds of people. Like all these fine people.

It’s anything but boring.

Thanks so much to Gail, Jim, Tiffany, and everyone else who just HAD to have caricatures at your party.

We had fun didn’t we?

Also thanks to the Barn at Hope farms. What a pretty little jewel of a restaurant. Perfect for this small gathering.

Enjoy the pictures and next time you have an event I’m happy to come draw a crowd for yall!