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Thomas Kinkade Painter of LightTM Known as the “Painter of Light,” Thomas Kinkade is America’s most collected living artist. His gallery in Sundance Square is one of only five galleries in the world owned by the artist’s company. It features his art exclusively and carries one of the largest collections of Thomas Kinkade originals, limited edition reproductions, and gift items. Stop by the gallery to see some of his newest releases including the ten images from his “Impressions of Israel” collection, this year’s Christmas painting, Christmas Moonlight, and the incredible new cityscape, Spirit of New York. As a Christian, Kinkade uses his gift as a vehicle to communicate and spread inherent life-affirming values. 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 age of four, his artistic talent was evident in the drawings and paintings that were lovingly displayed by his mother.
Encouraged by his family, Kinkade spent many hours sketching the natural beauty of the hills surrounding his home. He 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, Kinkade was already an accomplished oil painter and working as an apprentice for the California impressionist Glen Wessels, whose work had a major impact on the American art scene in the ‘40s and ‘50s. After his apprenticeship, Kinkade studied art at the University of California, Berkeley and the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. One summer, he and fellow artist James Gurney traveled across the country, sketching the scenery while collaborating on what would become their best-selling instructional book, The Artist Guide to Sketching. The book’s success lead to an invitation for the pair to work on an animated film, Fire and Ice where Kinkade was free to experiment with the stunning lighting effects that have become his hallmark and made him known worldwide as “The Painter of Light.” Once the film was released, he 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. A devoted husband and father, Kinkade gives thanks daily for his blessings, chief among them his lovely wife and their four beautiful daughters. On any given day, one finds the painter busy at his easel with his family nearby. Whether he’s working by a quaint little footpath in the English Countryside, a busy San Francisco street corner, or in his own 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 Kinkade hides “Ns” in his paintings as a tribute to Nannette, while the girls often find their own images and names in his works. And it shows in his work. 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 family.
Throughout this career, Kinkade has been recognized around the world for his many charitable efforts. He has received the World Children’s Center Humanitarian Award, has worked extensively with the World Vision Charities and has been the national spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. His most recent humanitarian efforts include his appointment as the Ambassador of the Points of Light Foundation, founded by former President George H.W. Bush, an organization devoted to encouraging volunteerism and community service throughout the United States. Kinkade has also received numerous awards for his art. The National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED) named him Graphic Artist of the Year eight consecutive years and the NALED Most Honored Artist in the past 25 years. He is 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 Kinkade with a retrospective exhibition of his work entitled Thomas Kinkade: Heaven on Earth. 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, D.C., and was also the selected artist to commemorate the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games and the 2002 Word Series. Kinkade has met with the Pope, U.S. Presidents, celebrities, and other well-known dignitaries to convey his hope-filled, life-affirming message. 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. Sundance Square Gallery hours are Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sun. noon-6. Phone: 817-335-1140. Thomas Kinkade Gallery
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