Thomas Kinkade
Los Gatos, CA USA
"The highest use of our talents is not just self-expression or self-promotion, it is taking that talent and making it a platform to enrich the life experience of other human beings."
Career Roadmap
Thomas's work combines: Art, Design, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When I started reproducing my art, I met opposition from friends in the business who said I was selling out by commercializing my art. They're of the opinion that a fine artist should be above the commercial market. I reject that opinion. I believe the most valuable piece of art is reproduced the most. To popularize an image is to add value to it. Take the Mona Lisa for example. It's the most reproduced painting as well as the most heavily guarded painting. That's not a coincidence.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Fine/Studio Arts, General
ArtCenter College of Design
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in Placerville, California.
2.
For college, I went to the University of California, Berkeley, for two years before transferring to the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.
3.
After college, I travelled with a friend across the United States—our travels brought us to New York where we landed a contract to create a sketching handbook.
4.
Our book “The Artist’s Guide to Sketching” gained a lot of attention and the success led to us working with Ralph Bakshi Studios, where we created the background art for the film “Fire and Ice.”
5.
The film gave me my career start—from then on, I’ve made a name for myself as a painter, creating original idyllic and romantic paintings.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You're a sellout.
How I responded:
When I started reproducing my art, I met opposition from friends in the business who said I was selling out by commercializing my art. They're of the opinion that a fine artist should be above the commercial market. I reject that opinion. I believe the most valuable piece of art is reproduced the most. To popularize an image is to add value to it. Take the Mona Lisa for example. It's the most reproduced painting as well as the most heavily guarded painting. That's not a coincidence.