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My mission as an artist is to create glimpses of a world
that are tranquil, peaceful, and full of the beauty of
God's creation. That's what I mean when I talk about
sharing the light. |
About the Artist
Thomas Kinkade, America’s most collected
living artist, is a painter-communicator whose tranquil,
light-infused paintings bring hope and joy to millions
every year.
Each one of Thomas Kinkade's art treasures creates a quiet messenger
that affirms the basic values of family and home, faith
in God, and the luminous beauty of nature. |
Inspired Natural Talent
Thomas Kinkade was raised in Placerville, California, a
small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where
his innate passions for life, art, and family were
nurtured. From the time he was four, his artistic talent
was evident in the drawings and paintings that were
lovingly displayed by his mother. Encouraged by his
family, Thom spent many
hours sketching the natural beauty
of the hills surrounding his home.
Thomas Kinkade still welcomes his family’s influences. In fact,
during a particularly memorable painting and sketching
excursion through Europe, he brought along his brother
Patrick and their father as they visited and
immortalized some of the most picturesque sites.
Thomas Kinkade would come to recognize the same simplicity and
family-centered sense of community in the paintings of
Norman Rockwell, one of his principal influences. At age
sixteen, Thom was already an accomplished oil painter
and working as an apprentice for renowned California
impressionist Glenn Wessels, whose work had a major
impact on the American art scene in the 40’s and 50’s. |
Formal Training and Early
Success
 After his apprenticeship, Thomas
Kinkade studied art at the
University of California, Berkeley and the prestigious
Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
One summer, he and artist James Gurney traveled across
the country, sketching the scenery while collaborating
on what would become their best-selling instructional
book, The Artist’s Guide to Sketching.
The book’s success led to an invitation for the pair to
work on an animated film where Thom was free to
experiment with the stunning lighting effects that have
become his hallmark and made him known world-wide as
“The Painter of LightTM.”
Once the film was released, Thomas Kinkade took two important
steps that would forever define his life and career. He
decided to earn his livelihood by creating and selling
his own art and, in 1982, he married his childhood
sweetheart, Nanette. |
An Artist’s Life Centered
Around Family
 A devoted husband and father, Thomas
Kinkade gives thanks every
day for his life’s many blessings, chief among them his
lovely wife and their four beautiful daughters. On any
given day, one finds Thom busy at his easel with his
family somewhere nearby.
Whether he’s working by a quaint little footpath in the
English countryside, a busy San Francisco street corner,
or in his own beloved Ivy Gate Studio cottage, his
daughters’ carefree high spirits inspire him to
celebrate and reflect their shared passion for a simple,
joy-filled life. Collectors know that Thom hides “N’s”
in his paintings as a tribute to Nanette, while the
girls often find their images and names in his works.
And it shows. Whether it’s a heartwarming scene of
Christmas churchgoers, an English cottage or a rambling
old Midwest farmhouse, each Thomas Kinkade painting
portrays some charming place he would love to share with
his own family. |
Honors and Awards
Throughout his career, Thomas Kinkade has been recognized around
the world for his many charitable efforts. Thom has
received the World Children’s Center Humanitarian Award,
has worked extensively with World Vision Charities and
has been the national spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish
Foundation®. His most recent humanitarian efforts
include his recent appointment as the Ambassador of the
Points of Light Foundation, founded by former President
George Bush, an organization devoted to encouraging
volunteerism and community service throughout the United
States.
Thomas Kinkade has also received numerous awards for his art. The
National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED)
named him Graphic Artist of the Year for eight
consecutive years and the NALED Most Honored Artist in
the past 25 years. He was a charter inductee, along with
his hero Norman Rockwell, into the Bradford
International Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into
the California Tourism Hall of Fame, and was awarded the
Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander in Chief Award in
1997. In addition, Thomas Kinkade is the only American
artist to win two Founder’s Awards from the National
Parks
Academy for the Arts.
In 2004, the University of California, Fullerton honored
Thomas Kinkade with a retrospective exhibition of his work
entitled Thomas Kinkade: Heaven on Earth.
Thomas Kinkade is the only artist to have been selected
twice to paint the National Christmas Tree in honor of
the Christmas Pageant of Peace in Washington, DC, and
was also the selected artist to commemorate the Salt
Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the 2002 World
Series.
Thomas Kinkade, The Painter of Light, creates glorious
paintings from simple inspirations: family, tradition,
community and a celebration of the beauty and goodness
of God’s creation. These motivations have illuminated
the body of work that is
collected and cherished throughout the world. |
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~ from the Thomas Kinkade About the Artist brochure |
| If you
have any questions or would like more information,
please contact us in Asheville 828-277-0850,
888-576-2116, in Blowing Rock 828-295-9752,
email us, or use our online
request form. |
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