THOMAS KINKADE - Painter of Light

Thomas Kinkade in his studio

Thomas Kinkade was born 1958 in Sacramento, California....died 2012 in Monte Sereno, California.  He was an American artist who painted pleasing scenes, in natural simplicity.  Typical subjects of Kinkade's paintings included cottages, bridges, gardens, and Americana scenes infused with the warm glow of sunlight.  He also produced Impressionist-style paintings under the brush name Robert Girrard from 1984 to 1990.  This anonymity allowed him the freedom to experiment in style and subject matter, to explore with palette, brush strokes and broken color (the painting technique that involves applying small strokes of color without blending them.)

In keeping with my December spotlight on winter art, these are a few of Kinkade's winter paintings.  I'll start with my favorite one...........

Evening Glow

A Winter Retreat

Winter at Lamplight Manor

Christmas at Lamplight Village

Welcome Winter

Appalachian winter landscape
with a log cabin glowing in the night.

Sunset on Snowflake Lake

Deer Creek Chapel

Thomas Kinkade used light to guide the viewer's eyes to the focal points of his paintings......with warmth, peace and divine grace.  His ability to blend light and color created an almost ethereal effect, making his works resonate with spirituality.  

Thomas Kinkade called himself the Painter of Light.  He used light to represent a divine presence and to drive away darkness.  Light in his paintings can symbolize God's guiding influence, family values and the need to be welcoming to others.  Kinkade believed that art could be a connecting force that could blur societal boundaries and connect people.  His work was based on a search for relief from the pressures of modern life.  His paintings are known for their dream-like pastels and idyllic scenes of churches and cottages.  He was inspired by his mother's collection of Saturday Evening Post magazines and considered Normal Rockwell to be his earliest hero.