c. 2005 Religion News Service
(UNDATED) Thomas Kinkade laughs at people who think he doesn’t paint much anymore, or who believe he doesn’t do his own work.
“I love this mythology that I have a huge studio with all these artists hidden away, doing my work for me,” Kinkade said during a telephone interview from his studio in Morgan Hill, Calif. “I would like to know where all those artists are. I could use them.”
Kinkade is known as the “painter of light” for his trademark paintings of warmly glowing cottages and lighthouses. In the interview, he discussed the work that has made him one of this country’s most popular Christian artists.
Q: Are you working as we speak?
A: Yes, I’m working on a painting called “Lamplight Sunset.” I did a series of paintings based on when I lived in England, a little village there. It was very romantic. This is the last piece in that series. It’s gone on for 10 years.
Q: Do you paint every day?
A: Yes, I’m a studio hermit. The only meetings I ever take are while I’m working. I’m a traditional oil painter. Although I’ve come up with some techniques for speeding the drying process, it’s still very time-consuming. I have about 70 paintings going at any given time. I finish 10 to 15 a year.
Q: What is your process while painting?
A: No one way. I’m always experimenting. People think I use a lot of high-tech equipment, but I don’t even own a computer. I hold a brush, not a mouse. Sometimes I work with an underdrawing, and I have been an advocate of plein air (“open air”) painting. I keep my easel handy when I travel. I take a little sketchbook with me wherever I go. But for the most part, my work is imaginative. I just start with an idea in my head.
Q: How important is faith in your work?
A: Art is kind of a faith activity. You are taking a blind leap of faith when you paint, trying to create a world that speaks to you or to other people. I believe that God gives us our talent for a reason. I’m always praying that simple one-word prayer: “Help.”
Q: What do you hope to accomplish as Ambassador of Light for the Points of Light Foundation?
A: The first President Bush gave that speech about a thousand points of light, in which he encouraged people to volunteer. But this idea has been championed by a number of statesmen and public figures, probably going all the way back to George Washington. When John F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you,” he was talking about the same thing.
Q: Are you doing anything specific for victims of Katrina?
A: Yes, we are creating a “Light in the Storm” candle with a company called Home Interiors. It will sell for about $6, and all the money will go to the relief effort. We hope to sell a million of them.
Q: Why do you think you are such a lightning rod in the art community?
A: There are artists who set fire to themselves or urinate on the canvas, but they aren’t as controversial as me! I’ve only done one thing, and I’ve done it well. I create romantic images that are warm and welcoming. What I paint provides comfort and hope to some people, and that’s why I do it.
Q: What’s ahead for you?
A: Now that I’m in my mid-40s, I see my role shifting. I’d like to continue to be a spokesman for certain core values, especially as it relates to kids. I can’t stand to see children who aren’t well cared for.
Q: How would that play out?
A: We just did a drawing project with the Orange County Children’s Hospital, and with Disney. I’d like to see that expanded to provide art materials to kids in children’s hospitals worldwide. I could do a video presentation to go with it. It would help kids take their minds off the troubles they are going through.
MO/JL END RNS
(David N. Dunkle writes for The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa.)
Editors: To obtain a photo of Thomas Kinkade, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug. If searching by subject, designate “exact phrase” for best results.
