Meet Thomas Kinkade: The Painter of Light

Light is the precious gift from the Almighty God. It is one of his creations, the first one. It is probably the most consistent metaphor in all of Scriptures in the Bible. Truth is represented as light, and in Matthew 5:16, Christ affirms that each of us should let “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

We appreciate light in so many ways in the context of so many kinds of frailties in our human lives. For me, light gives so much relief after being succumbed to so many darkened challenges in my life. Light means a solution, an inspiration that living in this world is really worth dying for. It means hope and many positive things that every human should possess.

For Thomas Kinkade, the brightest light burns inwardly. He further said that God illuminates our path and leads us through the love of his Son, Jesus Christ. Light is always the subject of Kinkade’s paintings.

How Thomas Kinkade found the Light

Thomas Kinkade’s childhoods are full of happy memories. The Kinkade family once lived in the small town of Placerville, California full of blessings coming from God. Forty years ago, Placerville was an innocent place and time where Thomas and his childhood friends used to roam the Main Street by riding his bike for haircut and popcorn. It is also a place where a boy could deliver the local paper to the door of a pretty girl who would one day become his wife. It was also a place where a boy could have his dream of becoming a painter because of the picturesque California Sierras. His mother was his ever-supportive framing his drawings on the living room wall, right next to inexpensive prints by his heroes, Normal Rockwell and Rembrandt.

Thomas’ homespun values clashed with twentieth-century intellectualism when he entered college in the University of California at Berkeley. He wanted to become the artist of the people, a communicator with paint, the next Norman Rockwell. No one at Berkeley seemed to find much merit in his idealistic approach. People were creating art around dark or pessimistic themes, explored tortured inner feelings, childhood pains and personal insecurities.

Giving up his art program, he switched into the College of Arts of Liberal Arts, studying literature and humanities. He painted alone in his basement studio during spare time and did illustrations for a local newspaper. When he was 22 years old, Thomas was invited by his friend in a revival meeting and there, the message of the preacher struck a chord in his life. The preacher said that” God is waiting too touch your life, to meet your every need, to fill your life with light.” By the invitation of the preacher, Thomas Kinkade accepted the light God that he once ignored for a long time.

Together with fellow artist, James Gurney, Thomas travelled America for two years working at Art Center. Newspapers called them two young “hobo artists” concentrating mainly in travelling and working, the idea behind the sketcher’s handbook called The Artist’s Guide to Sketching which became an art instruction success even these days.

Thomas Kinkade Today

We can buy Thomas Kinkade’s oil paintings and reproductions in many media, like tarpaulins, greeting cards and the like.

His success will never be complete if not for his own family, Nanette, his wife and children who truly inspire him. Kinkade paints a hidden letter N for Nanette into every picture.

As Thomas Kinkade quips, “ Heaven, at least in my artistic imagination, is a place where the windows, always glow.

Do you have any painting made by Thomas Kinkade? If you don’t have any of his works, better try availing it now.