Thomas Kinkade - Painter of Light

Thomas Kinkade was born in 1958 and grew up in Northern California in the small town of Placerville. Though the family did not have wealth, Kinkade often says they were "rich in the greatest form of wealth: a nurturing and affirming love." His first collector was his mother who would frame his childhood drawings and use them to decorate the family home.

Kinkade studied art at the University of California at Berkeley, where his roommate was the now-renowned artist James Gurney (of Dinotopia fame.) Kinkade furthered his art education at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

Following his studies, Kinkade reunited with Gurney and set off on a coast-to-coast railroad adventure. It was during this adventure the two men began sketching, soaking up color and experience while learning about their subjects, whatever they happened to be. Kinkade and Gurney gained the interest of a major art publisher, and the artists became authors of a book in 1982; The Artist's Guide to Sketching. The success of the book landed the two artists at Ralph Bakshi Studios where they created background art for the animated feature film, "Fire and Ice."

After the film Kinkade earned his living as a painter by selling his originals in various galleries around California. He married his childhood sweetheart, Nanette, in 1982. Two years after their marriage they began to publish his art and in 1989 formed Lightpost Publishing. Nanette's support and encouragement is a major inspiration in his art, and he often pays tribute to her by hiding "N's" in his paintings. Today the Kinkade's have 4 daughters, who also find their names and images included in their father's art.

Thomas Kinkade has won numerous awards, including the 1995 Artist of the Year and the 1996, 1997 and 1998 Graphic Artist of the Year from the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED.) Additionally, he has won the 1995 Collector Editions Award of Excellence and was a charter inductee to the Bradford International Hall of Fame. In August of 1997, Kinkade was presented with the Distinguished Service Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the first time this award was presented to an artist.

"I don't see my art as something distinct and different from my life. My art is nothing more than a reflection of who I am as a person-what I value, believe and experience." - Thomas Kinkade