This vision has guided Thomas Kinkade to emerge from an impoverished childhood, to become North America's most collected artist. His work is sought after not only for the beauty of the images, but for the creation of a tranquil enviorment that represents love, hope and joy. He has been constant in his desire to have his audience look to his art, rather than to him personally, for inspiration.

Born the second child of Bill and Mary Anne , William Thomas Kinkade III arrived in Sacramento, California, on Jan.19,1958, Thom's parents were a typical couple of the era. Bill, was a WWII veteran, who worked hard along with his wife to support their family which included, Katherine, Thom's older sister,and Patrick , his younter brother. Shortly after Thom's sixth birthday, marital problems made life difficult for the family. They had moved to Latrobe California, while Bill was still commuting to work in Sacramento. Finally the marriage broke down and Mary Anne moved herself and the children to the small town of Placerville. They took up residence in a countyside trailer park.

Though run down, it provided Thom with a wealth of reflective memories. It was like a village with eveything within walking distance. Eventually, they settled into a home of their own.

Thom could draw long before he could walk, his mother remembers. It is therefore no suprise that it was a case of "instant love" when he was exposed to oil painting for the first time in an accelerated art class during his junior year at high school. "The moment I took up an oil painting brush, I felt I was coming home".

During the summer of that same year, Thom had a paper delivery route for the Sacramento Bee newspaper. While making his rounds to the homes in Placerville, Thom encountered a beautiful blonde girl standing beside a moving van. "It's difficult to imagine the impact that this first sight of Nanette had on me,"Kinkade has said. Thom and Nanette became constant companions and partners in planning a life together. They would talk for hours about their future. Many of these dreams have more than surpassed the expectations of those early days of their relationship.

In 1974, Glenn Wessels, an elderly artist, established a studio in Placerville. It was Thom's second year in high school and Thom became Wessels "handyman" and apprentice for the next three years.

His artistic talent flourished under the watchful eye of his mentor and with Wessels influence and assistance , Thom enrolled at the University of California at Berkley. There, he formed a firm and lasting friendship with his young roommate, James Gurney, another budding artist, who went on to create DINOTOPIA. After two years at Berkeley, Thom entered the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and further developed his painting skills. While still studying Kinkade was creating highly rromantic landscape paintings, influenced by the Hudson River School painters.

His canvases were shown at Los Angeles galleries and met with immediate approval. His friend James Gurney had joined Thom at the Art centre and the two were soon off on a whirlwind trip across America. This trip resulted in "The Artist's Guide to Sketching" which was financed shortly after both Kinkade and Gurney were hired by director Ralph Bakshi to paint sets for his animated film FIRE AND ICE. This invaluable experience still affects his current work.

His growing popularity and financial stability now allowed Thom to propose to his childhood sweetheart. On May 2, 1982 Nanette Willey and Thomas Kinkade were married and soon after settled in their own home just north of Placerville. The year 1983 saw the fulfilment of another dream for Thom and Nanette. "Nanette and I took our life savings and printed our first limited editions,"Thom remembers. They were a great success and sold out quickly. Plans were then laid with friend, Ken Raasch, for what would become Lightpost Publishing.

Two years later, in 1985, the first of Thom and Nanette's four daughter's arrived. Merritt and Chandler were both born in Placerville, followed by the births of Winsor and Everett, in the South Bay area of San Francisco. With their family complete in 1997, Thom realized another personal dream. In 1996, Thom, his father Bill and younger brother Patrick, retraced Bills WWII memories with a trip through the British Isles and France. The new book, Chasing the Horizon, was the result of this amazing journey for the Kinkade men. The book was published in 1997.

As a world traveler, Thom has always been at home in the great outdoors. It is no suprise that the PLEIN AIR collection evolved out of these travels. Toward the end of this period some of his most popular canvases reflect his transition toward more bold color and definition. One need only look to such works as Cobblestone Lane and Light of Peace to see how his style evolved.

His painting continued to attract international interest. Thom was invited to the White House to usher in the first Christmas of the new millennium with the Clintons. Thom and Nanette had the honour of being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to the 100th birthday celebrations of the Queen Mother. Sixty Kinkade works were displayed at this spectacular gala, bringing.his work to the attention of European collectors. It was around this period that many galleries representing Thom's work opened in the U.S. and Great Britain.

Awards have followed Kinkades work wherever it is presented. The National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED) has named him graphic artist of the year for the fifth year in a row. He has also been named Lithograph of the Year for eight consecutive years, and has twice been named NALED'S artist of the year. In 1989 he was named the Official Artist for the National Parks Collector's Print and has donated his art to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Christmas program. The list goes on and on.

In 1990, Thomas Kinkade became a Hall of Famer in the US Art Magazine.

We look forward to many more exciting and moving images in the coming years.