Thomas Kinkade life and biography

Thomas Kinkade was an American painter of realistic, bucolic, 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 characterizes himself as "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light" (a trademarked phrase), and as "America's most-collected living artist". Media Arts, the publicly-traded company that licenses and sells Kinkade's products, claims that 1 in 20 homes in the U.S. feature some form of Thomas Kinkade’s art.

Thomas Kinkade is America's most collected living artist, a painter-communicator whose tranquil, light-infused paintings bring hope and joy to millions each year. Each painting Thomas Kinkade creates is a quiet messenger in the home, affirming the basic values of family and home, faith in God, and the luminous beauty of nature.

It was while growing up in the small town of Placerville that these simple, life-affirming values were instilled in him. It was also during this time that Thomas began to explore the world around him. He once spent a summer on a sketching tour with a college friend, producing the best-selling instructional book, "The Artist's Guide to Sketching". The success of the book lead the two young artists to paint background art for the animation feature, "Fire and Ice", where Kinkade was able to explore light and imaginative worlds with abandon.

After the film, Kinkade continued to earn his living as a painter, selling his originals in galleries throughout California. In 1982, he married his childhood sweetheart, Nanette, and two years later they began to publish his art.

Thomas Kinkade is a devout Christian and credits the Lord for both the ability and the inspiration to create his paintings. His goal as an artist is to touch people of all faiths, to bring peace and joy into their lives through the images he creates. The letters he receives every day testify to the fact that he is achieving his goal.

A devoted husband and doting father to their four little girls, Thomas hides the letter 'N' in his paintings to pay tribute to his wife, Nanette, and the girls find their names and images in many of his paintings.

Thomas Kinkade has even traded his paintbrush for a pen and has completed over 20 books throughout his career. Two of his books, "Simpler Times" and "Lightposts for Living" have become national bestsellers! These books of spiritual counsel and consolation marry Thomas' art and his words and are at once challenging to the mind, consoling to the heart and pleasing to the eye.

On April 6, 2012, Thomas Kinkade died at his home in Monte Sereno, California aged 54. One month later his death was ruled as an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription tranquilizers (Valium).

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