Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade believed the paintbrush was a powerful instrument for spreading joy. Born in 1958 in Placerville, California, near Sacramento, he studied at Berkeley and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena before leaving for financial reasons. His career took off in 1980 after a cross-country sketching tour with a friend resulted in the successful book “The Artist’s Guide to Sketching.” He later worked on background art for the animated film “Fire and Ice” while developing his distinctive approach to depicting light in painting.
Proclaimed the “Painter of Light,” Kinkade delighted millions of collectors with dreamy scenes of quaint cottages and idyllic landscapes infused with warmth and comfort. He married his childhood sweetheart Nanette, and together they built a thriving business that spread his name worldwide. By some accounts, he sold more canvases than any other artist in history. His work drew on Renaissance glazing techniques, using thin layers of diluted paint over dark grounds to create luminous effects. He tucked “love notes” into his paintings, hiding the letter “N” as tribute to Nanette and similar signals for his four daughters.
Kinkade is represented by Park West Gallery. He died unexpectedly on April 6, 2012, at age 54, leaving a legacy cherished by collectors worldwide.