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Thomas Kinkade
Having shared some form of his artwork with an estimated 10 million people worldwide, Thomas Kinkade holds the honour of being America's most collected living artist. But the man known as the "Painter of Light," believes his artistic talent is not only a gift from God, but a tool to fulfill Christ's command recorded in Matthew 5:16.
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"I create imagery of inspiration. And I think people in our culture need to be reminded of the good things in life - things like home and family, the beauty of nature and simpler ways of living - because our culture has gotten so fast paced and I think the core values sometimes get eroded."
Such values are not eroded in Kinkade's work. The images he creates from his cottage studio in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco are primarily romantic ones; landscapes and nostalgic scenes that make use of soft edges, warm palettes and infusions of light. Fans and collectors often tell him they can lose themselves in peaceful reflection as they gaze at the scenes depicted in his works.
But they are works that might never have been created, for the artist describes a time in his life, shortly after his conversion to Christianity at the age of 22, when he considered doing something else.
"I would describe it as a social consciousness that came into my heart," he says. "When I [converted to Christianity] I really thought, 'well maybe the Lord will call me to go overseas' or something along that line, and then the Lord reminded me that no, 'I've prepared you for a task. I've equipped you for a certain ministry service.' And that's when I really gave my talents to the Lord."
Today, the self-described "workaholic" has approximately 150 paintings in progress at any one time. He completes from 20 - 30 paintings per year.
"It's really a platform for ministry," he says of his artwork. "As a man of Christian faith - I've always felt that God gives you talents for a reason.
"The opportunity I have is to enter millions of homes with imagery that touches lives and hearts. The paintings go into the home. They're part of the family. They're part of the culture of the home."
Kinkade says that one of the most satisfying experiences for an artist is to feel that something they have created is treasured by someone else; an experience he has regularly, for fans of his work write him by the thousands to express their gratitude for his talent.
In the midst of such success, the artist relies on his Bible to help keep him grounded.
He loves the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, "it's a reminder to me of life and it's real meaning and purpose," he says, but the Matthew verse is his favourite in all of Scripture. "Christ said to let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven," says Kinkade, paraphrasing the verse.
"I take it to heart," he adds. "I feel like if there's any plan for whatever talent I have, it's to let God's light shine."
