Thomas Kinkade: 25 Years of Light

Thomas Kinkade: 25 Years of Light

• Introduction
• Chapter1
• The Art

"One of the greatest things that my mother gave to us was to be confident, to be unafraid, and to be tolerant."

It was a small town at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Placerville, California, in the early 1960s. Thomas Kinkade grew up in a single-parent home with his brother, Pat, sister, Kate, and his mother, Mary Anne. Mary Anne Kinkade raised her children believing that the sanctuary of the home was closing the front door when everyone was inside, keeping the house warm, feeding everyone well and loving each other. Her advice for mothering is to love your children because they hunger for it; pray because you need help; and give children the opportunity to correct their mistakes.

Thom began drawing from the time he could hold a crayon in his hand. His second-grade teacher told his mother that he would be a great artist when he grew up. He drew on everything he could find, from recycled paper his mother brought home from the office to drawing tablets and canvases he stretched himself­—even the dining room walls, careful to make sure he wrote "I Love Mom" underneath each picture so he didn't get in trouble!

From an early age, Thom was dedicated to his dream of becoming a painter. He used the money he earned from paper routes and other odd jobs to buy art supplies. Outside play and sports came second to his interest in drawing and painting. Thom read all the books he could find on art and artists. He went through a variety of techniques—Picasso-like, Dali-like, pen and ink drawings. And he tried every kind of medium—water-colors, oil, chalk—whatever he could get his hands on.

Thom's passion for painting slowly began to take over the entire house. At one point, Kate gave up her room so Thom could move out of the room he shared with his brother. His easel, paints, and paintings ended up in Kate's old bedroom, which he called his studio. As the paintings increased in number, they could be found on all the walls throughout the house, under the beds, and even stacked in the laundry room. The smell of oil paint permeated the small house, but his entire family was supportive of Thom's determination to become a great painter.

Although Thom's focus was on his art, he was every bit a little boy, as should be expected. From making sure Pat's ten-speed bicycle had the same scratches as his did, to building forts in the woods, to creating fantasy worlds with stuffed animals, Thom's imagination and creativity surrounded his days in Placerville with the help of his siblings and his mother.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Contact: Kathy Hilliard, (800) 851-8923, khilliard@amuniversal.com

Thomas Kinkade: 25 Years of Light

Author: Thomas Kinkade
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7703-5
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7703-3
Format: 10 x 12, 180 pp, hardcover, Color photography
Price: $45.00 U.S.A. ($45.00 Canada)