Sal's Site
Three miracles in 1988 set artist Thomas Kinkade on his way
On a whim one Christmas season, I picked up Thomas Kinkade’s A Village Christmas at a used bookstore after noticing the picturesque winter scene on the cover. Flipping quickly through the pages of the hardcover book, I saw more sublime Christmastime and winter settings and was sold. I’m a sucker for this kind of art.
The paintings in A Village Christmas are best viewed in a dim light, perhaps next to the glow of lights on a Christmas tree. That’s because most of them are nighttime illustrations of extravagant, lit-up houses surrounded by snowy yards and streets, lots of dressed-up people, and horses and carriages. Kinkade’s pieces take place in darkness, but somehow his paintings light up off the pages. A quick online review of Kinkade’s style reveals he is known for this kind of work.
Kinkade’s writing is as warm as his wintertime images that hearten the soul. When purchasing the book I overlooked its subtitle, “Personal Family Memories and Holiday Traditions,” information that is every bit as stimulating as Kinkade’s paintings. Beyond the mesmerizing, idyllic scenes in the illustrations, Kinkade reveals a lot about his start in the art world in A Village Christmas. Within the book’s 111 pages, the author and painter relates three miracles he experienced during a formative year of his life, 1988, when he and his wife, Nanette, experienced the birth of the first of their four daughters, whom they named Merritt.
One of the miracles was a successful public event for Kinkade that occurred at a show in his hometown of Placerville, California. But what’s much more interesting and revealing was the hard work Kinkade put in before being recognized for the first unveiling of his artwork that set him on his life course. An artist Kinkade greatly admired named Glenn Wessels also lived in Placerville. Wessels was the head of the art department at the University of Berkeley, where the free-spirited (at the time) Kinkade eventually went to school. At the tender age of 14, Kinkade offered to help Wessels in any way he could at Wessels’ art studio and was soundly rejected.
Fast forward to a few years later, when Wessels was involved in a bad car accident with well-known photographer Ansel Adams, sadly resulting in the crippling of the artist’s legs. Kinkade offered his services in the art studio again to Wessels, who this time accepted wholeheartedly. The two became friends and Wessels greatly opened up Kinkade’s world, influencing his work and outlook as an artist and person.
“He was one of the great thinkers on the importance of art culturally and on the trends of art as an expression of humanity,” writes Kinkade, who used art as a vehicle to recognize excellence in life when he saw it.
Kinkade deserves credit for sticking with his passion for painting as his family grew, pursuing his vision on his own terms, and succeeding. This touching personal story, amid the joy of Christmas at the book’s center, is unexpected but makes A Village Christmas a must-read for aspiring artists and really anybody who is looking to achieve his or her dreams while appreciating their surroundings.
Discover A Village Christmas on Amazon.
Illustration by Thomas Kinkade