Thomas Kinkade
Thomas Kinkade
William Thomas Kinkade III was an American painter of popular realistic, pastoral, and idyllic subjects. He is notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via the Thomas Kinkade Company. He characterized himself as "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light," a phrase he protected through trademark but one originally attributed to the British master J. M. W. Turner. It has been estimated that 1 in every 20 American homes owns a copy of one...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPop Artist
Date of Birth19 January 1958
CitySacramento, CA
CountryUnited States of America
My whole life was absorbed with my art. I was known by my schoolmates as the kid who could draw.
Literature is the stringing together of pictures in words.
I've always been drawn to artists who paint for the everyday person. I love the American illustrators.
Every painting I do blends time frames. The great thing about being an artist is I can make the past join the present in some reality of the future.
I've never been at odds with the world of contemporary artists. If there is any animosity, it's one-sided.
The disintegration of the culture starts with the artist. I'm on a crusade to turn the tide in the arts, to restore dignity to the arts and, by extension, to the culture.
A still image attracts the viewer with an overall impact, then reveals smaller details upon further study.
What I paint touches on foundational life values. Home, family, peacefulness. And one of the messages I try to constantly get across is, 'Slow it down and enjoy every moment.'
The No. 1 quote critics give me is, 'Thom, your work is irrelevant.' Now, that's a fascinating, fascinating comment. Yes, irrelevant to the little subculture, this microculture, of modern art. But here's the point: My art is relevant because it's relevant to 10 million people. That makes me the most relevant artist in this culture.
This world is very dark, but in Heaven there is no darkness.
I began my career creating art for an animated feature film, and it has been a life-long dream to tell some of the story of my own life - the story behind my art - through the medium of motion pictures.
I've had so much positive reaction and emotional fulfillment from the creation of my art and sharing it with everyday people that I never paid too much attention to the opinion of critics.