We'll Leave the Light on for You... Famed painter of light, Thomas Kinkade, dead

[G8rDMD]

Only 54, damn Talented man and gone way too soon

Kinkade

SAN FRANCISCO – Artist Thomas Kinkade, whose brushwork paintings of idyllic landscapes, cottages and churches have been big sellers for dealers across the United States, died Friday, a family spokesman said.

Kinkade, 54, died at his home in Los Gatos in the San Francisco Bay Area of what appeared to be natural causes, David Satterfield said.

Kinkade's sentimental paintings, with their scenes of country gardens and churches in dewy morning light, were beloved by middlebrow America but reviled by the art establishment. He claimed to be the nation's most collected living artist, and his paintings and spin-off products were said to fetch some $100 million a year in sales, and to be in 10 million homes in the United States.

His paintings generally depict tranquil scenes with lush landscaping and streams running nearby. Many contain images from Bible passages.

"I'm a warrior for light," Kinkade, a self-described devout Christian, told the San Jose Mercury News in 2002, in reference to the medieval practice of using light to symbolize the divine. "With whatever talent and resources I have, I'm trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many people feel."

Before Kinkade's Media Arts Group went private in the middle of the past decade, the company took in $32 million per quarter from 4,500 dealers across the country 10 years ago, according to the Mercury News. The cost of his paintings range from hundreds of dollars to more than $10,000.

A biography on his website states that Kinkade rejected "the intellectual isolation of the artist" and instead, made "each of his works an intimate statement that resonates in the personal lives of his viewers."

"I share something in common with Norman Rockwell and, for that matter, with Walt Disney," he said. "In that I really like to make people happy."

Kinkade was born and raised in the Placerville, Calif. He studied at the University of California at Berkeley and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

"Thom provided a wonderful life for his family," his wife, Nanette, said in a statement. "We are shocked and saddened by his death."

[kingpin]

People may not know the name but the chances are that you have either had or have a calendar hanging up with one of his paintings in it.

[Nox]

Originally Posted by kingpin

People may not know the name but the chances are that you have either had or have a calendar hanging up with one of his paintings in it.

[G8rDMD]

Originally Posted by kingpin

People may not know the name but the chances are that you have either had or have a calendar hanging up with one of his paintings in it.

My parents love him, I bought them a lithograph for Christmas one year.

[Norm]

Have three of his reproduction tapestries hanging in my living room. I enjoyed his artistry tremendously. Sorry to hear.

[stingraymyway]

[ZipZap]

Not a big fan of his style, but he definitely built a following and served his fans well. Sad to hear of somebody going so young...

[SnowDale]

I spent a bunch of time in an art gallery doing framing when I was an undergrad. I got so tired of Kinkade and Uzilevsky that I vowed never to have own one.

[Butterfly71]

Not a fan but many people are. Too young to die.

[Barkingowl]

One step above mall art.

[Issues]

Top notch work in my opinion ..

R.I.P. TK

[carlton_fritz]

Originally Posted by kingpin

People may not know the name but the chances are that you have either had or have a calendar hanging up with one of his paintings in it.

Not here. My calenders tend to be wolf or castle calenders.

[04 commemorative]

Natural causes....at 54 ?

[GS Ragtop]

Originally Posted by 04 commemorative

Natural causes....at 54 ?

I thought the same. My in-laws loved his work - we wound up with a couple when they passed away.

[04 commemorative]

Think they will actually increase in value ? My sis has two or three originals with papers and signed...should I steal them?

[kingpin]

Originally Posted by 04 commemorative

Think they will actually increase in value ? My sis has two or three originals with papers and signed...should I steal them?

Definitely. His death has added 50% to the current value of his pieces already.

[GS Ragtop]

Originally Posted by kingpin

Definitely. His death has added 50% to the current value of his pieces already.

All 78 billion of them.

[kingpin]

Originally Posted by GS Ragtop

All 78 billion of them.

Anything with a certificate and a low number is always good.
Sketches and drawings are always a good investment.

[Fastguy]

He had mass appeal, hence his mass success. Not a fan, but I appreciate his ability to reach the masses and make people happy.
Many people like their art realism-based.
Or to sum up something I overheard from someone at an abstract exhibit in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,

"I don't get it, I like pictures that look like stuff".

[Chuck A]

very sad, indeed