Thomas kinkade

1. Thomas kinkade Painter of Light

2. How it started • At the beginning of his artistic career, Thomas Kinkade put his entire life savings into the printing of his first lithograph! • After becoming famous as an illustrator, Kinkade decided that his goal was not fame and fortune. His desire was to paint the natural wonders and images that moved him most. • Kinkade named his mission Sharing the Light™ and even though his goal was not fame and fortune, he has become the most-collected living artist of his time.

3. Art for good • Thomas Kinkade shared his art in support of hospitals, schools, and humanitarian relief. • Thomas created custom images that were sold for The Salvation Army, Hurricane Katrina relief, and Rotary International. • His donated art work is on the walls of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the White House, The Vatican and Britain’s Tate Museum. • Thomas has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over his lifetime for charity!

4. Hidden meanings • Thomas Kinkade is known as a devout and loving family man. These traits inspired him to place a hidden meaning in some of his paintings. • If you look closely at his art, you will find that numerous paintings contain hidden “N’s”! These hidden “N’s” represent Thomas’s love for his wife Nanette. • Many other paintings include the numbers “5282” as a tribute to Thomas and Nanette’s wedding date, which is May 2, 1982. • After the birth of each of his four daughters, Thomas painted images in each of their namesakes; Evening at Merritt’s Cottage, Chandler’s Cottage, Winsor Manor and Everett’s Cottage.

5. Inspirational messages • Kinkade believed that a higher power was responsible for his artistic ability and inspiration. • His hope was to touch people of all faiths, and to bring peace and joy into lives through his paintings. • The main messages in Kinkade’s paintings are to slow down, appreciate the little details in life, and to look for beauty in the world around us. • These messages aided Kinkade in Sharing the Light™.

6. Artistic Style • Kinkade became famous through his mastery of luminism. • Luminism is a painting style that emphasizes a unique clarity of light.  

7. Early career • Kinkade partnered with fellow artist, James Gurney, to illustrate and author, The Artist’s Guide to Sketching. • During this time in his career, Kinkade painted vast, epic landscapes and open vistas. • His paintings experimented with the use of shadows and contrast, but did not contain luminism.

8. portraits •  Thomas Kinkade sketched and painted many portraits over the years. He is well known for his portraits of children.  “What makes one portrait or figure drawing stand out from another is a feeling of character. That’s something you find in abundance when you’re on-the-spot – people of all shapes and sizes, no two alike…”

9. pseudonym • Early in his career, Thomas Kinkade experimented under the brush name Robert Girrard. Kinkade felt that painting under this pseudonym would give him artistic freedom. • He began experimenting with techniques from the Impressionist movement. Kinkade had many artistic breakthroughs during this time which helped him on his way to Luminism.

10. luminism • As his career continued, Thomas began playing with the idea of Luminism. • He began to incorporate multiple sources of light into his artwork, and eventually become known as the Painter of Light™. • Thomas’s paintings often use light to suggest the presence of people. • His artwork is said to invoke feelings of relaxation, serenity and inspiration.

11. Watercolor • Thomas also mastered the use of watercolors. • He liked using watercolor because of their quick drying time. • When using watercolors, Kinkade enjoyed capturing the outdoor light in his surroundings.

12. Plein air • One of Kinkade’s favorite ways to paint was plein air, or open-air. • “He compulsively painted enplein air wherever he traveled. He used what he learned in those settings to illuminate many of his studio works.”

13. serigraphs • Kinkade enjoyed many types of art media. Early in his career, he focused on serigraphy. Serigraphy, also known as silk screening, is a stencil-based printing process in which ink is forced through a fine screen onto the paper beneath.  • Kinkade used this process to screen his remarque sketches and replicate original art throughout his career. • After Kinkade’s death, the Thomas Kinkade Company released a Serigraph Edition of Snow White Discovers the Cottage, winning two Golden Image awards from the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association.