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Background | Family | Misc. | Awards and Accolades
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"History of Artist Thomas Kinkade" "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade is widely regarded as one of the foremost living painters of light. Every subject he puts his hand to, whether cottage or countryside, small town America or bustling city, seems infused with a radiant quality. It is almost as though a special moment has been captured on canvas and rendered timeless by the warm light of nostalgic memory. His complex technique bears great kinship to a little known group of nineteenth century American painters known as the Luminists. As Kinkade puts it, "Like the Luminists, I strive for three visual aspects in my work: soft edges, a warm palette, and an overall sense of light." This special "Kinkade glow might help explain Thomas Kinkade's enormous popularity as an internationally published artist. Virtually everything Kinkade paints gets reproduced in one or more forms, including hand signed lithographs, canvas prints, books, posters, calendars, magazine covers, cards, collector plates, figurines, and gift items. Perhaps no American artist since Norman Rockwell has received such broad exposure and popular acceptance. The following generated by this immense exposure has brought six digit sums for Kinkade's original paintings and an ever widening list of prestigious collectors, including many well-known leaders in the fields of politics, business and entertainment. Thomas Kinkade was born in 1958 and grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. From the age of four, his calling as an artist was evident, and by 16 he was an accomplished painter in oil under the apprenticeship of the well-known artist Glen Wessels. After studies at the University of California at Berkeley, and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Kinkade began work for the motion picture industry at age 22. He personally created over 600 background paintings for the animated feature film, Fire and Ice. This intensive period of work for the movie business may well have been the genesis of Kinkade's mastery of pictorial lighting effects. While at work on Fire and Ice, Kinkade and fellow artist James Gurney adventured across America aboard boxcars, recording their experience in sketches, and subsequently authored a best-selling art instructional book based on their adventures entitled The Artist's guide to sketching (Watson1/Guptill, New York). In 1983, Thomas Kinkade left the film industry to pursue his vision as painter of light-filled landscapes. Since then his career has been documented in feature articles and/or editorial exposure in such well-known magazines Architectural Digest, American Artist, Collector's Mart Magazine, Collector Editions, Lively Arts and Leisure, Worldwide Challenge, US Art, Southwest Art, and Weekend. He is a regular guest on radio talk shows and has made a guest appearance on ABC's popular network show, "Home", starring Gary Collins. Kinkade's impressive list of honors includes: two Certificates of merit from the New York Society of Illustrators, two Founder's Awards from the National Parks Academy for the Arts (the first artist ever to receive this award twice), a two-man show at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana, over 10 one-man shows,and countless personal appearances. Furthermore, Kinkade was chosen as the official artist for the 1989 National Park's Collector's Print and the 1990 Commemorative Press Collector's Print honoring Rotary International. Also in 1991 he won "Plate of the Show" in Southbend, Best New Artist of The Year for NALED in 1992, Collector "Award of Excellence" in 1993 and Lithograph of the year for NALED was named second runner-up for Lithograph of the year for NALED and first runner-up for Artist of the Year. Thomas Kinkade is a gregarious, outgoing man with a tremendous sense of humor. He is left-handed, about six feet tall, and of Scottish/Irish descent. A devout Christian, Kinkade readily acknowledges God's hand in his life and well aware of his many blessings, foremost are his lovely wife, Nanette, and daughters Merrit and Chandler. In fact, Kinkade frequently pays loving tribute to his wife and daughters by hiding their names or initials within his paintings, a phenomenon eagerly watched by seasoned collectors who often find more hidden tributes than Kinkade himself intended! Since this writing Thomas and Nanette now have four daughters: Merrit, Chandler, Winsor and Everett. Thomas Kinkade is also extremely generous often using his art talents to create special commemorative prints which raises tens of thousands of dollars for charitable causes. Kinkade also gives of his time frequently speaking to civic, school and church groups in California. In fact, Kinkade's abundant benevolence and community spirit were honored in 1990, when he received the Humanitarian of the Year award from his county Chamber of Commerce. Thomas Kinkade maintains a rigorous six day a week painting schedule, but still finds time for church activities, reading and extensive travel with his family in America and abroad, researching new subjects by painting and photographing on location. Kinkade's hobbies include collecting books (his personal library consists of several thousand volumes) making audio cassette productions, complete with sound effects, which he circulates to his many artist friends. Thomas Kinkade's oil paintings and reproductions communicate deeply with viewers, providing and warm nostalgia in a complex and often stressful world. "I try to create paintings that are a window for the imagination. If people look at my work and are reminded of the way things once were or perhaps the way they could be, then I've done my job." -Thomas Kinkade
In the late nineteenth century, an American style of painting arose known as "luminism." Luminists used light to give their paintings a nostalgic, peaceful look. Thomas Kinkade is widely regarded as the Painter of Light, skillfully using "soft edges, a warm pallette and an overall sense of light." Born in 1958, Thom grew up in the Sierra foothills in California. By age sixteen, he was already an accomplished oil painter under the apprenticeship of California painter Glen Wessels. He created over 600 background paintings for the animated feature film "Fire and Ice." He also co-authored an instructional book ( The Artist's Guide to Sketching ) with James Gurney that was based on their trip across America riding and sketching in railroad boxcars. Kinkade is a devoted family man who delights in paying tribute to his family (a wife and three girls) through hiding their names and initials in his work.
It was while growing up in the small town of Placerville that these simple, life-affirming values were instilled in him. It was also during this time that Thomas began to explore the world around him. He once spent a summer on a sketching tour with a college friend, producing the best selling instructional book, "The Artist's Guide to Sketching". The success of the book lead the two young artists to painting background art for the animation feature, "Fire and Ice", where Kinkade was able to explore light and imaginative worlds with abandon. After the film, Kinkade continued to earn his living as a painter, selling his originals in galleries throughout California. In 1982, he married his childhood sweetheart, Nanette, and two years later they began to publish his art. Kinkade has won dozens of awards and recognitions for his art. He expresses through his paintings - a love of life, family, faith in God, and the beauty of nature. In fact, Kinkade calls his paintings "silent messengers in the home relaying messages of peace, hope, and joy." Thomas Kinkade is America's most collected living artist, a painter-communicator whose tranquil, light infused paintings bring hope and joy to millions each year. Family and Faith Thomas Kinkade is a devout Christian and credits the Lord for both the ability and the inspiration to create his paintings. His goal as an artist is to touch people of all faiths, to bring peace and joy into their lives through the images he creates. The letters he receives every day testify to the fact that he is achieving his goal. A devoted husband and doting father to their four little girls, Thomas hides the letter 'N' in his paintings to pay tribute to his wife, Nanette, and the girls find their names and images in many of his paintings. Thomas Kinkade has recently published "Simpler Times", a best selling book that shares some of his philosophy about faith and family and is illustrated with his work. In it he encourages everyone to simplify their lives, to spend time with family and friends. The book, like his paintings, offers "an off ramp from the fast lane..." Awards and Accolades Thomas Kinkade has received numerous awards for his works. Most recently, he has been named by the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED) as Graphic Artist of the Year, for the second year in a row. He has also been named NALED's Artist of the Year and his works have been named Lithograph of the Year for five years running. Thomas Kinkade has won the Collector Editions Award of Excellence and was a charter inductee, along with his idol, Norman Rockwell, to the Bradford International Hall of Fame for plate artists. In 1989, he was the Official Artist for the National Parks Collector's Print and has donated his art to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Christmas program, earning him their coveted Commander in Chief Award. Kinkade is also the only artist predicted to be a "Future Hall of Famer" in US Art Magazine (Thom is eligible in 1999). Family
and Faith
Thomas Kinkade is a devout Christian and credits the Lord for both the ability and the inspiration to create his paintings. His goal as an artist is to touch people of all faiths, to bring peace and joy into their lives through the images he creates. The letters he receives every day testify to the fact that he is achieving his goal. A devoted husband and doting father to their four little girls, Thomas hides the letter 'N' in his paintings to pay tribute to his wife, Nanette, and the girls find their names and images in many of his paintings. Thomas Kinkade has recently published "Simpler Times", a best selling book that shares some of his philosophy about faith and family and is illustrated with his work. In it he encourages everyone to simplify their lives, to spend time with family and friends. The book, like his paintings, offers "an off ramp from the fast lane..."
Thomas Kinkade Media Arts Group, Inc. Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light, has been hailed as the most popular artist alive today. Working out of his Pacific Northwest studio, Kinkade has painted over 300 works— depicting lighthouses, cottages and street scenes— which have become a must have for millions of Americans. People claim his art gives them hope and inspiration, a "three-minute vacation" from their everyday lives. Over 90 independent galleries across the country specialize in his prints. His work has appeared on Hallmark cards and catalog covers— material success that Kinkade attributes to the power of his positive message and the quality of his art. Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light™, on the other hand, is the leading brand name of Media Arts Group, Inc. MAGI, publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as MDA, posted $120 million in net sales for FY 1999, a 53 percent increase over FY98’s $82.7 million. MAGI is the first company to create and develop what it calls a "lifestyle brand" around a product — in other words, the personality of Thomas Kinkade. Using the strong sales of Kinkade prints as a base, MAGI has entered into numerous licensing agreements with companies like Hallmark, Warner Books and even Lazy-Boy (yes, Kinkade inspired Barcaloungers), and today the name "Thomas Kinkade" appears on hundreds of products, many of which bear little relation to his art. Indeed, MAGI’s corporate vision rests on the wholesale commodification of not just art, but an artist. This kind of puppeteering is nothing new; the record industry is built on A&R men constructing newly "discovered" bands, and licensing has long been recognized as the best way to extend a product’s shelf-life. But the Thomas Kinkadeä "lifestyle brand" is at the forefront of a new trend in marketing, one where the primary commodity — in this case art, but also music and film — becomes secondary in value to the artistic aura that surrounds it. For instance, last year Fox launched a line of loungewear "inspired" by "Ally McBeal" called "…isms," meant to reflect the quirky yet introspective "lifestyle" of the show’s lead character. Sony is about to release an entire line of Britney Spears "inspired" make-up, shoes and clothes. Unlike traditional licensing, neither of these lines have very much to do explicitly with their "inspirations"; rather, they depend on the aura of the character to give themselves added marketability. But there is something more insidious about the Thomas Kinkade lifestyle brand. No one in their right mind believes that Ally McBeal is a real person, or that Britney Spears is anything except an entertainer. However, people do believe in Kinkade — they buy his art because they believe in his message. People believe in his "aura," his realness as a Christian artist. They believe him when he says that his paintings are "silent messengers in the home relaying messages of peace, hope, and joy." What they don’t know, of course, is that all of these warm, fuzzy feelings are the product of cold manipulation by MAGI, and it is this uncritical belief in the "realness" of Kinkade that MAGI then uses for its own corporate benefits. MAGI’s chairman, Kenneth Raasch, boasts in a letter to investors that his company’s success rests on the sleight-of-hand interplay between the "lifestyle brand" (personality) and MAGI’s strategic vision: At Media Arts Group, the seed has been planted, it has firmly taken root and an exciting and healthy company is growing. Our unique business model incorporates the Thomas Kinkade lifestyle brand, branded products, controlled branded distribution and strategic partnerships with some of the most well known companies in the world. We have the people, knowledge, processes and strategies necessary to create the leading art-based lifestyle brand. Indeed, the juxtaposition between the public and the corporate face of Thomas Kinkade is striking. On the artist’s web page, Kinkade is praised (and praises himself) as an artist of the people, a savior of middle America from the clutches of godless New York postmodernism. Evoking as many American classicisms as possible in one paragraph, he writes: I didn’t realize twenty years ago that the appeal of the simple life would become one of the enduring themes in my art. But I think simplicity is what really attracted me to these native American subjects. I imagine the purity of a world where all your material possessions can be packed on horseback and carried from one spectacular setting to another. Such a life, lived in perfect harmony with nature, is truly a work of art. An accompanying analysis of his style and work compares Kinkade to Monet and Renoir and reveals that he, like other great artists, went through a troubled period in his life where he struggled to find his method. The analysis throws up all of the artistic stereotypes — recognized early as a talented drawer, sets off to find himself, attaches to a mentor, and after years of hard, isolated labor finally finds his style. He even took a cross-country "hobo hoist" to study the American landscape. One line is particularly juicy: "Thomas Kinkade studied the Old Masters Rembrandt and Carravaggio, particularly who exploited dramatic contrasts of light and shade with powerful impact. He experimented (that word again) repeatedly in his work, until at last becoming comfortable with lighting effects that he views as powerful reminders of God's presence in the world." This is not to say that this is untrue — Thomas Kinkade is a real artist, and he may very well have studied Caravaggio. But what is difficult to swallow is that all of this is, in the end, a corporate marketing strategy, and what is disturbing is that no one knows it. Indeed, one has only to compare the friendly, shining accolades Kinkade heaps upon his fans with the cold financial analysis applied to his "consumers" on the MAGI page: "the strength of the lifestyle brand of Thomas Kinkade has been recognized by a variety of consumers and companies alike, providing an opportunity to continue to develop the brand." MAGI claims that it has "changed the paradigm of art" by its focus on Thomas Kinkade as a commodified, marketable "lifestyle brand." Indeed, MAGI’s attitude toward art and its accompanying marketing strategy recall the great debates between high modernist and avant-garde cultural critics in the early 1900s. It was argued by Walter Benjamin, for instance, that the combination of reproduction technology (cameras, phonographs) and avant-garde art broke down once and for all the elitist "aura" of art. In the 20th Century, Benjamin and others recognized that anyone could own a Monet, or a Degas, and because of this the mystery and power of original works of art had vanished. For Benjamin, this was a good thing — art was no longer the province of the bourgeois, who had regarded themselves as the guardians of art’s "aura." But for Benjamin, the "aura" of a work began and ended with the work itself — the artist himself, in terms of value, conferred little on the art. This, of course, changed drastically after the war, and indeed many companies profited by selling splatter-paint prints and yellow-and-mauve Marilyn Monroes simply because they had the names "Jackson Pollock" or "Andy Warhol" attached. But we had to wait until Kinkade and MAGI to see the process come to fruition — art, freed from its high-culture moorings, has drifted over the century into the arms of capitalism, so much so that in 1999, the entire concept of an artistic being — personality, style, body of work and consumption — is coldly and very quietly manipulated by corporations. — Clay Risen ([email protected])
Thomas Kinkade has won the Collector Editions Award of Excellence and was a charter inductee, along with his idol, Norman Rockwell, to the Bradford International Hall of Fame for plate artists. In 1989, he was the Official Artist for the National Parks Collector's Print and has donated his art to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Christmas program, earning him their coveted Commander in Chief Award. Kinkade is also the only artist predicted to be a "Future Hall of Famer" in US Art Magazine (Thom is eligible in 1999).
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