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
I blend time frames in my paintings. I tend to like things without the reference of time. A garden could be now, it could be 100 years ago. It's a garden. When I paint hometown settings, things like that, there is a sense of embracing an older life, but I have to say I like to mix time frames. I like to paint what could be now, if the right cars were on the street.
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.
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.'
I think each dwelling that I paint is an expression of something that I wish I could have had. For example, I painted a painting with a big, broad porch on it called "Home Is Where the Heart Is." I always dreamed of having a big porch where you'd sit there.
I actively support art programs that teach kids the basics. Painting and drawing are terrific tools to build self-esteem and creativity in children. I'm also very committed to World Vision, an organization that reaches out to impoverished kids the world over. Anything that brings hope to children, I'm in favor of.
It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.
Each of us is a small part of God's plan. I'm a small part. I create paintings that are being used by God.
Focus. With so many creative minds around the company, there are always more projects than we can effectively take on at one time.
She was my high school sweetheart. I hide an 'N' in every painting.
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 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.