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RMS TITANIC - The Ship of Dreams!

BIRD RESCUE - Learn to save a life!

COMING SOON

A New Lens on the Plight of Dancing Bears of India
(472 rescued, 800 on the streets)

What art has to do with communication and why?
Art is a word which summarizes THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION. Enough Artistic Skill to produce the desired effect on the beholder.

What is Artistic "message" and how does one get his message across?
Art is the most uncodified and most opinionated subject on the planet. Art has been anyone's guess. Masterpieces have gone un-applauded while positive freaks have gained raves. Remember the elephant dung covering the Madonna, the mother of Christ at the Metropolitan Museum of New York?

Works of Art are viewed by people. They are heard and felt by people. They are not just for the elite Forbes 400. Art is the soul food of all people. The message is what the Artist communicates to the PEOPLE. (not for heaven's sake Art Critics in the upper east side of Manhattan but PEOPLE).

What defines a true professional in his field of art, versus a mere "dabbler" or dilettante?
The Artist has technical expertise itself adequate enough to produce an emotional impact. This is true for any art form i.e. music, dance, acting, writing, etc.

Why is Thomas Kinkade the most collected Artist on the planet?
Because Kinkade conveys depth in art and uses color including color harmony, color depth, and color associations. Thomas Kinkade is widely regarded as the foremost living painter of light. His complex technique bears great kinship to a little known group of nineteenth century American painters known as the Luminists. As Kinkade puts it, "Like the Luminists I strive for three visual aspects in my work: soft edges, a warm palette and an overall sense of light." Kinkade's mastery of these three seemingly simple aspects gives his paintings the warm glow and idyllic softness for which he is known. This special "Kinkade Glow" might help explain his enormous popularity as an internationally published artist.

Thomas Kinkade is a proud Christian and many of his images have a Christian Theme. He writes "John 3:16" on every painting in the lower left or right hand corner along with the Christian Fish (Ichthys).

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to see more Religious/Inspirational paintings

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When the Disneyland 50th Anniversary gala was announced, I jumped at the chance to paint this place of golden memories. I set up my easel on Main Street to paint a plein air study of Sleeping Beauty Castle, soon to befestooned with decorations, flags, and banners celebrating Disneyland's 50th. I couldn't resist painting my own family among the crowd.
The drama of sunset suggests the end of an era at Disneyland, while the glowing lights at the base of the castle remind us that a new age of imagination and celebration awaits.
~~Thomas Kinkade

2 years later Tom was invited by Walt Disney World in Orlando to paint Cinderella Castle... Here it is ....His portrait of Tinkerbell is pure magic...now you see it...now you don't

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New Disneyland painting by Thomas Kinkade - "A New Day at the Cinderella Castle"

ABOUT DISNEY'S CINDERELLA CASTLE

Cinderella's Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction, and reaches to a height of 189 feet tall - nearly twice the size of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

When the sun sets, the castle is illuminated in 16.7 million colors, thanks to Vari-Lite intelligent lighting fixtures placed on different castle levels and surrounding the castle.The castle itself plays a role in the Magic Kingdom's fireworks show, in which it changes color in synchronization with the dramatic music of the display.

"A New Day at the Cinderella Castle" brings you back to all those magical moments in your childhood.

"A New Day at the Cinderella Castle discovers a morning every bit as enchanting as the castle itself. A double rainbow arcs over the towering castle; morning light gently kisses the stone turrets. Lavish trees and shrubs frame the building; quaint gas lamps dance along the walkway.




I used a whimsical brush: Is Bambi on the lawn? Tinkerbell above the castle spires? The Ugly Duckling in the pond? You decide." .

The drama of sunset suggests the end of an era at Disneyland, while the glowing lights at the base of the castle remind us that a new age of imagination and celebration awaits.
~~Thomas Kinkade

2002 World Series

In October 2002 Tom was commissioned to paint the 2002 World Series Baseball games between the American League Champion Anaheim Angels and the National League Champion San Francisco Giants.
Kinkade attended game two at Anaheim on Sunday, October 20, 2002 when he painted the action first hand from Edison International Field of Anaheim, home of the American League Champions, Anaheim Angels. Kinkade then traveled to San Francisco and attended game three at San Francisco on Sunday, October 22, 2002 where he painted the action first hand from Pacific Bell Park, home of the National League Champions, San Francisco Giants.

Thomas Kinkade took the opportunity to commemorate the famous Yankee Stadium just prior to its closing.
Tom said of Yankee Stadium,
"In In 2008, Yankee Stadium, the greatest cathedral to the game of baseball, will close its doors forever. I could not let such a historic moment pass without honoring it in my way. This is the original Yankee Stadium - the house that Ruth built."

~~ COMING SOON ~~

Thomas Kinkade is Officially Licensed to paint the Commemorative Portrait of the
50th Running of the DAYTONA 500

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Visit my

eBay Store for these and other Thomas Kinkade paintings theming sports scenes such as golf scenes, fishing, sailing

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to see available Thomas Kinkade Christmas paintings

Thomas Kinkade has a particular affection for Christmas and the Holiday Season and hisrelated artwork are among the favorites of many collectors.

According to Thomas Kinkade's biography, America's most collected artist had a Tom Sawyer-like childhood in the Norman Rockwellesque hometown of Placerville, California. These days you can have a "Thomas Kinkade tour" in Placerville visiting his school, the original gallery, and the Christmas Victorian Homes he has painted which are actual houses in Placerville.

Many of Thomas Kinkade's cottages are based on actual homes in the English countryside or in the San Francisco bay area, or Placerville near Sacramento. His cottages glow with a warm and fuzzy light, recalling a nostalgic, idyllic past--that never existed for him. Thomas was raised by a single parent and was always told to switch lights off to save on utility bill.He walked home to a dark and cold home in Winter (all lights off). For Thomas, the light in his paintings "represents God's presence and influence." The Painter of Light%u2122 warns us of the pitfalls of light deprivation.

TThomas Kinkade was born in 1958 and grew up in Placerville, California, (near Sacramento) with his mother, older sister and younger brother. His family knew very early on that Thomas was a gifted artist. At age 4, he was correcting the perspective of a roadway that his sister had drawn beside a house in a picture. From that age on, his direction was set. By age 13, he was painting at a professional level in oil, much to the amazement of his fine art teachers at the local high school. He sold his first painting at age 11 for $7.50. The woman who bought it remembered thinking at the time, "I'd better hold onto this picture. It will probably be worth something someday."

Nearly all Christmas/Winter/Snow scene Thomas Kinkade painted has become a best seller escalating in value annually. St. Nicholas Circle (shown here to the right) was painted in Norman Rockwell Studio in Arlington Virginia. Norman Rockwell was a big hero of Thomas' (he owns several original Normal Rockwells') St. Nicholas Circle looks like a Norman Rockwell painting -pure Americana.

THOMAS KINKADE, WIFE NANETTE AND 2 DAUGHTERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHERE TOM PRESENTED HIS PAINTING
~~ "Lights of Liberty" ~~
This painting now hangs in the White House Foyer.

Visit my HOME PAGE or EBAY STORE for Thomas Kinkade Christmas paintings and more great Thomas Kinkade Art!

Graceland, 50th Anniversary is Thomas Kinkade's latest painting released at the Graceland Estate of Elvis Presley in March, 2007. This release of of his tribute to the King of Rock 'n Roll has become one of Thomas Kinkade's most popular paintings.

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"The year 2007 marks a very special anniversary for Graceland. In March 1957, Elvis purchased Graceland for his home. And to commemorate this historic event, Painter of Light, Thomas Kinkade, has created his newest masterpiece Graceland, 50th Anniversary and will unveil it during this exclusive event. Kinkade visited Graceland in September 2006 to paint a study for the painting, and had this to say, Elvis Presley created rock and roll and changed music forever. Graceland was his refuge from the demands of his fame. My hope is that I will capture on canvas a bit of the home that he loved so much."
--Thomas Kinkade

"Elvis Presley created rock and roll and changed music forever. Graceland was his refuge from the demands of his fame. My hope is that I will capture on canvas a bit of the home that he loved so much. As for me as an artist, I create art that is accessible for everyone, just as Elvis created music that is enjoyed by millions of people the world over. The Elvis I want to celebrate is the private man; the inspiration of how one person can use his or her God-given talent to bring joy to millions of people."
---said Thomas Kinkade in a recent interview

Visit my Home Page or Thomas Kinkade Store on eBay to see what I currently have listed.

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Who is Thomas Kinkade?

His Story

Thom Discovers His Talent Early

It was Tom's Kindergarten Teacher that told Tom's mother that one day he would be a great artist ....

Soon his family knew at a very young age that Thom was a gifted artist. At age 4, he was correcting the perspective of a roadway that his sister had drawn beside a house in a picture! From that age on, his direction was set. By age 13, he was painting at a professional level in oil, much to the amazement of his fine art teachers at the local high school. He sold his first painting at age 11 for $7.50. The woman who bought it remembered thinking at the time, "I'd better hold onto this picture. It will probably be worth something someday."

Thom Attends Art School

Thom chose Berkeley for his first two years of college. During his years at Berkeley, but at Berkeley, the philosophy seemed to be, "Express yourself, FOR yourself" in a very self-absorbing , self-focused way. The Berkely ethics and mores were not something Thom could agree with and so left and he enrolled at the Art Center College of Design located in Pasadena, California.

Thom Writes His First Book

In Berkeley, he met and became fast friends with a fellow artist by the name of James Gurney, who later became the author of the best selling book "Dinotopia". When Gurney joined Thom at the Art Center, the two decided to take an adventure over the summer aboard boxcars. They would stop by pubs and start out by sketching the bartender. Thom would give the sketch to the barkeep and ask if he could paint the patrons that came in. The bartenders usually said yes and Thom would set-up at the end of the bar with a jar and a sign that read, "ketches - $2.00". People enjoyed the sketches so much that Thom and Jim thought it would be a great idea to teach people how to sketch. So they said, "Let's write a book". One night they spent hours on the pier above the Hudson River and banged out what became "The Artist's Guide to Sketching". The book is now worth about $500.00, if you can find one.

Thom Returns to Placerville

In 1983, Placerville Library commissioned Thom to do a painting of the town to hang in a new library facility. He researched the history of Placerville through oral histories, archival photographs and old fire-insurance maps. He chose a rainy afternoon to give it a nostalgic feeling, and he recruited friends and family to pose for the central figures. He even painted a miniature self-portrait on a poster hanging on the wall below the post office sign. Prints were made and sold from a card table outside the local grocery store for $35.00 apiece as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Library. Five years later they were reselling in local galleries for prices as high as $2,000.00.

Thom Publishes His First Piece

In 1984, Thom traveled to Alaska where he met a bush pilot, Hoppy Harrower. Thom decided that he wanted to paint a suite in the Yukon, so he told the pilot he would give him the original of the first work he painted, worth $4,000.00, if he would fly him around the area for 3 weeks. The painting became known as "Dawson". It was Thom''s first published painting in 1984.

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~~ Do you know the Symbols? ~~

• Thomas Kinkade includes a Bible reference John 3:16 on every painting and a fish (ichthus -a Christian symbol) with his signature


• He imbeds The letter N on every canvas in honor of his wife's name, Nanette. The number of Ns is indicated below the original oil signature in the lower right or left hand corner of the painting. The painting with the most hidden Ns is Golden Gate Bridge (144) and the smallest is Silent Night (2).


• Bird/Eagle = peace and freedom


• The "light" in the paintings = "represents God's presence and influences". It also "illuminates and guides."


• Smoke of a chimney = warmth of home


• Lights on in the houses = family values


• Any type of movement = constant changes in life


• Lamp post/light post = Reminds us to share the light or to light our way. Also, welcoming friends and loved ones


• Boat = adventure


• Pathways, Trails & Tracks = path of life. Also the paths are lit so God can show us the way.


• Stairways = Struggles through life


• Bridges = Cross over from dark to light


• Gates = many passages we face in our lives everyday and the many discoveries we have yet to make. It also can mean that heaven is open to all that is faithful. They are open to welcoming us in to a house or even heaven.


• Windmills = biblical symbol for the untamed human spirit.


• Clouds = represents the live that have passed


• Dogwoods = There is a story that has been passed down for generation regarding this dogwood. Supposedly during Jesus' time, the dogwood was a strong, thick, and straight tree. When Jesus was crucified on this tree, God cursed it into a weak and crooked tree so that no man could ever be crucified on it. When the tree blossoms, there are five petals on the flower symbolizing the five piercing. The center of the flower is a red representing the blood of Jesus. Pink dogwood represents passion, white for purity.

Thomas Kinkade's recurring theme of lighthouses is a reminder of simpler times: of sailing ships and oil lamps and the men and women whom day after day faithfully tended the coastal lights that guided mariners.

It was a sad day of loss and nostalgia when the keeper extinguished the lamp for the last time. Boarding up the lighthouse, he moved his family and belongings often to another light station. Lighthouses do not endure through space and time. Eroding coastlines, battering waves eventually cause enormous wear and tear on these structures.

In the 21st century there is much more than a lonely lighthouse to aid mariners. The modern Coast Guard consists of helicopters, small boats, cutters, aids to navigation, marine safety inspections and much more.

Celestial navigation is now historical. GPS ~~ Global Positioning by Satellite is the method used today. However, Celestial Navigation is taught in all Mercantile Marine Academies and Lighthouses are a dear symbol to all sailors. Not some dinosaur monument but a signficant symbol that could save nautical lives.

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for available Thomas Kinkade Lighthouses and Seascapes

TThomas Kinkade is a modern day Leonardo da Vinci. (I was actually quoted in the Los Angeles Times) with this exact sentence. Once in a while in our generation, someone with great talent comes along. Thomas Kinkade is one of them. A recent professor at UCLA asked students to name a famous living artist. The whole room could only name one ~~ Thomas Kinkade.

No artist has been able to play with light and shadow and have the painting "glow" and change from dawn to mid day sun back down to sunset. Look at this and observe Tom's study of Light and Shadow I have more clients that purchase a Kinkade as a family heirloom than for any other reason other than Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas.

Think about it. There isn't much one can comfortably leave in a will that guarantees a place in a home. Jewellery gets lost/stolen/pawned. Cars take up lots of space and deteriorate over time. Furniture is not appreciated by more modern generations whose taste in furniture changes with time.

But a beautiful work of Art, a best seller Thomas Kinkade that actually goes up by 15% to 10% annually brings you beauty and pleasure and enjoyment all year round and goes up annually to boot.

Large canvases will look best hung on a primary wall in any room, one that catches the eye when one enters a room. Artwork looks best when it hangs at eye level. This means that the center of the canvas should be at 60" above the floor. This is called museum hanging and is optimum height for most people who will view it. When you have a large piece of furniture below your target wall, it is generally held that you should allow for 6-8", even though this may be higher than museum hanging. Rooms where works of art are to hang should have a weak daylight and must be illuminated with incandescent lighting, which is relatively harmless.

• Do Not display your artwork in an environment with high humidity, as mold can grow on the back of the canvas.
  
• Do Not hang your artwork in direct sunlight! Even though your image has been coated with a special ultra-violet light protectant, direct sunlight over a period of time may fade the image.
  
• Do Not hang your artwork near radiators and other sources of heat. If hanging your artwork above a fireplace, be sure to allow for adequate ventilation as smoke and heat may damage the image over time.
  

Never use a solvent to clean any part of the canvas!

It is recommended that the owners of limited edition Kinkade canvasses regularly clean the canvas image. This helps to preserve the print from fading and from harmful pollutants. Anyone with a wood burning fireplace should wipe the canvas clean after every burning. Smokers should also clean their prints at least twice a month. Leaving smoke residue on a canvas lithograph can change the color of the painting but this is rare.

Simply use a lint free cloth that has never had any type of cleaning solution on it. Lightly mist the cloth with clean water (preferably distilled), and gently wipe off the image. This can be done on a regular basis.

Owners can also lightly spray the back of the image with water. This will tighten the canvas to correct any sagging that may occur with age. One collector called with the problem that a visiting nephew bumped her Kinkade canvas and caused a slight dent. She was able to alleviate the problem by lightly spraying the back of the canvas.

Under normal conditions a stretched canvas may loosen over time. If the canvas should become loose, apply a small amount of hot water to the BACK of the canvas with a rag or spray bottle. As the canvas dries it will tighten back up. NEVER use water for a Giclee' editions (also know as the A/N), Studio Proof or Renaissance edition!

Hobby Hill Lights will bring your paintings to life with museum quality lighting
that provides smooth even illumination across the entire canvas.

Designed to protect your fine art investment with special bulbs with filters
to block damaging heat and all harmful ultra violet light, meeting the strict requirements and guidelines.

I offer CUSTOM sized Thomas Kinkade Museum Quality gallery frames in several different designs to fit your personal artwork needs.

Depending on your requirements, custom frame orders typically take 4 to 5 business days to prepare for shipping.

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to see samples of frame designs I currently have available.

Call 1-866-354-8886 to place an order for your Custom Frame

Thomas Kinkade painted under the cover of the fictitious alias "Robert Girrard". Thomas Kinkade created a series of studio paintings and Plein Aires (see below for definition) from 1984 to 1989 and signed them with the name "Robert Girrard".

There are approximately 70 Robert Girrard paintings in existence. Collectors purchased these rare, small quantity release paintings not knowing they were acquiring a valuable Kinkade. Some collectors actually thought Robert Girrard was copying Thomas Kinkade!

Why Thomas Kinkade used an alias

Thomas Kinkade became "Robert Girrard" in order to experiment with artistic freedom. Thomas Kinkade wanted to work in the style of French impressionists and desired to paint in that manner. (His paintings are remarkably like Claude Monet). As a believer in re-incarnation I will admit I believe that Thomas Kinkade WAS Claude Monet! But Thomas Kinkade believed his collectors would be startled at this different style and he did not want to lose his audience. Hence "Robert Girrard". Thomas Kinkade outed himself as Robert Girrard through a statement released by Media Arts Group early in 2002. These days when you purchase a Robert Girrard it is double signed -- Signed by Robert Girrard and Thomas Kinkade.

What is a Plein Aire painting

A Plein Aire (French : open Air) is a painting done outdoors by an Artist on his easel from beginning to end in one sitting. Many collectors feel this is true art. There are no later "touch ups" in a studio. Plein Aire is a more impressionistic painting style that features broad dabs of pigment which look better from a distance.

Call to Purchase Robert Girrard Art!
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Here is your opportunity to add the "Kinkade Flair" to your home without breaking the family budget. For the more frugal shopper, Thomas Kinkade has released a selected series of his more popular paintings in a more affordable form. A high quality lithograph overlaid on canvas, each Kinkade Classic Canvas presents much of the look and feel of a Thomas Kinkade Limited Edition.

Every Kinkade Classic Canvas is presented in a museum quality frame designed to coordinate with the most popular Thomas Kinkade Limited Edition frame styles.

Every Kinkade Classic Canvas also includes:

• A Certificate of Authenticity guaranteeing that your Classic is a "Genuine Kinkade" and recreates the original painting to Thomas Kinkade's own specifications.
• A plaque (golden in Color) with the title of artwork and artist.

Follow THIS LINK to my eBay store page where you can see what I currently have available it the Thomas Kinkade Classics Collection

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for available Thomas Kinkade Classics!

"Painter of Light, Seller of Platinum"
(From eBay's Art Seller Newsflash -- December 2003)

Read my eBay Feedback and Performance

Thomas Kinkade recently flew to Israel in Spring 2006 and painted 10 scenes in the Holy Land. Upon Thomas Kinkade's arrival in Israel, due to the current tight security, his paint thinner was removed. He had to search around to get a replacement so he could start painting.

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