The Dying Of The Light

Only 54 years old, but Thomas Kinkade's art seemed to have come from the brush of a much older man.

I always pictured the "Painter of Light" as someone closer in age to those who liked his work. He was a grandfather, in my mind, a very ancient artist with a vision that was beloved by grandmothers everywhere.

The highly successful painter has passed away at the age of 54.

He created a body of work that was easy on the eye and the mind. There was no deep thinking needed to understand his creations. What you saw was what you were meant to see.

When hundreds of people invested in a collection of Thomas Kinkade Signature galleries and then went bankrupt, it came as a surprise because anyone who painted light, a dedicated Christian, could not possibly have acted in bad faith. Just when a settlement was due, the company behind the galleries declared bankruptcy. Who could have seen that coming from someone who appeared to be so sincere, so honest, and so talented?

That's the problem with paint and canvas. What you see is what the artist created, which doesn't mean that it's absolutely real.

It's what the viewer wants it to be.

And sometimes it's rather dark behind all that light.