More Q&A with Cross Stitch Collection Magazine

Here are the final two questions from my recent interview with Cross Stitch Collection magazine. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them as much as I did answering them.

What or who can you not live without when it comes to painting?

A sense of humor. After all, everyone has an opinion when it comes to a painting, and when someone says something critical, the best thing to do is chuckle and remind yourself that painting pictures is the most enjoyable way to make a living.

When did you last stop and think “Wow, that’s amazing!” and what was it that made you do so?

The Statue of David in Florence. (pictured) The ability of the human hand and eye to craft works of great wonder never ceases to amaze me. A great work of art needs no translation; it is a language unto itself.

More Q&A from My Cross Stitch Collection Interview

Here are a couple more of the very interesting and compelling questions I was asked recently by Cross Stitch Collection, the leading needlecraft publication in the UK. Whenever I'm interviewed, I can normally anticipate the questions I'll be asked, but these were very interesting and fun to answer.

On a Desert Island, you’re allowed six items to help you keep painting to keep you busy/sane, what are they?
Naturally my wife Nanette would the first item on the list, if people can be included. She has always been my primary source of inspiration and strength. She has also been my model many times – especially when I was too poor to hire one. The next thing I would need would be a good umbrella, because there is nothing worse than painting with the sun shining directly in your eyes. A box of paints is mandatory, and hopefully that would only count as a single item. A sketchbook provides a good notation tool to get ideas down quickly, and a bible can keep you spiritually inspired. For canvas I could always use the sand on the beach, which would keep changing daily to allow for a new subject. I suppose the final item needed to guarantee happiness would be a large bottle of Tabasco sauce. To me, raw oysters are intolerable without a dash of spice.

In your opinion who’s the most important person in the art world and why?
I always believe that the average working person is far more important than the most educated self-proclaimed art critic. I have had the good fortune to sell paintings to millions of people who had never bought a piece of art before, and I am proud that my paintings spark their emotions this strongly. Not only is this flattering, it reminds me that the real goal of art is to provide inspiration and pleasure to real people, not just an educated elite.

My Newest Video: Savannah Romance

I've always believed that Savannah, Georgia is a city for romantics. And the crown jewel of this gracious southern city epitomizes all that is the Old South. Forsyth Park remains one of the most visually abundant locales in all of Savannah. In my painting, Savannah Romance, I've paid homage to the majestic Forsyth Fountain. Ive also included an abundance of color dogwood and mimosa trees vie for attention with resplendent southern magnolias and lush azaleas.
Whether you've been to Savannah, or simply long to visit, may Savannah Romance truly bring out the dreamers heart in all of us.

More Q&A From the U.K.

Here are two more of the very interesting questions I was recently asked by Cross Stitch Collection Magazine, along with my answers:

When’s the last time you looked at a piece of artwork and thought “I wish I’d done that” and what was it?

I enjoy the brilliant paintings of Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (pictured) and was dumb struck recently to discover that he often imported the flowers needed for his subjects from southern France and other places. And this was in the 19th century when transporting fresh flowers was not so easy to do. I love the idea of painting in a studio filled with fresh flowers. Today it is too easy for artists to take a snapshot and leave the flowers behind. I love painting from live subjects, and so when I see Alma-Tadema’s paintings of flowers, I always wish I could have had the chance to be that leisurely in my work habits and to paint all those flowers from life.

Which designer or artist influences you the most and why?

Walt Disney. Though many would consider him more of a cartoonist or moviemaker than an artist, to me Disney achieved the greatest thing an artist can achieve: he passionately created his own fantasy visions of the world and then made them highly attractive to people. Disney once said that he desired to create “the happiest place on earth”. Perhaps my goal as an artist is to create “the happiest place on canvas”.

More Q&A with Cross Stitch Collection Magazine

I was recently interviewed for a magazine called Cross Stitch Collection, the number one needlecraft publication in the UK. The interview was for one of our newest licensees in the UK - Coats Crafts. We’re selling Thomas Kinkade Collection premium items under their Maia brand.

Here are questions #3 and #4. I found them to be quite intriguing and fun to answer.

Tell us about your worst event painting disaster?

As a young gallery artist I once painted a scene of an old oak tree with some sheep standing below it. I had forgotten to varnish the painting, and when I went to deliver the piece I quickly brushed on some varnish only to find that the solvent in the varnish had melted away the sheep. So I ended up with a painting of an oak tree only.

What’s the one thing about the art world you wish you could change?

I wish romantic artists were afforded the same respect that romantic novelists or romantic musicians are. It seems that in the art world, anything bursting with beauty is considered less important. I have always been a romantic, and make no apologies for the fact that my paintings are scenic in nature. I don’t have any interest in painting controversy or ugliness. To me there is enough of that in the world already.

A Recent Interview with a Leading Embrodiery Magazine

I was recently asked a series of 10 questions for a magazine called Cross Stitch Collection, the leading needlecraft publication in the UK. The interview request came from one of our newest licensees in the UK - Coats Crafts. They’re the premiere needlecraft company in the UK and throughout the world, a 260-year-old company now based in 67 countries. We’re selling the Thomas Kinkade Collection premium items under their Maia brand.

I was very intrigued by the questions and answered them very carefully. Here are the first two questions with my answers:

Where do you get your best work done?

In the sunshine. I love nothing more than setting up my easel outdoors, and thankfully in California that is possible much of the year. If I am bundled up well enough, I even enjoy painting in the rain. Luckily since I am an oil painter, the oil paints will not run even in a drizzle. My studio work is done in a cottage built in the 1930’s that sits amidst rolling gardens in Northern California. Where I live, anything built that long ago is considered a historic relic. Naturally in England such structures would merely be clutter that gets in the way of the truly historic structures. When I lived in Gloustershire for a period I stayed in a cottage that was almost a thousand years old. Now that is what I call inspiring.

We know you’re a talented artist, but confess one thing you’re absolutely terrible at?

Gardening. I am much better at painting gardens than planting them. I have always dreamed of tending my own garden, but find that I prefer the creativity available when you start with a blank canvas and add strokes one-by-one to create garden color. As a painter, my garden can emerge all at once, rather than over a period of months.

My Recent Record Day on Shop NBC

Last week, I had an opportunity to help Shop NBC launch the first-ever show featuring my artwork and it was a great experience. The show received more responses than ever before, as an unprecedented number of customers called in to the Shop NBC studio in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, during the times I was on their special Collector’s Day Event. I am so thrilled by the phenomenal response—it’s both humbling and exhilarating at the same time. I always love talking to collectors from all over the country. They're so gracious and it offers me a unique perspective directly from my collectors that I appreciate. My next appearance on Shop NBC will be on July 24th, for a show called “Christmas in July.” Stay tuned.

Battles at Gettysburg

One of the biggest thrills of my journey to Gettysburg had to be witnessing the annual Gettysburg Civil War battle reenactment, held every year on the Fourth of July weekend. Featuring five separate battles, live mortar fire demonstrations, including 13,000 reenactors in full Civil War garb, 500 mounted canons and a slew of tents in Sutler Village featuring continuous programs, these reenactments are authentic and inspirational, giving everyone viewing them and participating a real idea of what it must have been like to actually be there 146 years ago.

My Weekend at Gettysburg

My visit to Gettysburg this past weekend was a wonderful experience in so many ways. As I walked through the Gettysburg National History Park on the Fourth of July, I couldn’t help but reflect on the historical significance of the moment.

The Battle of Gettysburg took place during the first four days of July 1863 and was the turning point of the Civil War. When the Union was victorious, it ended Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the North and marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

On November 19th, 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches of all time at Gettysburg, when in two minutes he artfully re-defined the purpose of the Union in fighting the Civil War.

I hope you enjoy these photos which I took of the battlefield at Gettysburg.

Reflections on Independence Day

Being in Gettysburg on the Fourth of July brings back great memories of two of my patriotic images. The first one that comes to mind is America's Pride, the first piece in my new 'Flags Over America' collection, which features the same dramatic sky and waving flag seen in my previous painting, while below I pay tribute to the most patriotic of all American cities - our nation's capitol.

Then, there's Heading Home, another painting that reminds me of this time of year. In this image, the soldier is alone ... as he is never alone in battle. The weight of all he has seen and done, of the pain he has borne and the trials he has overcome bear down on his broad shoulders. The soldier's personal war is over: he is Heading Home. I did not choose to show the warrior's face in my painting of the homecoming veteran. The hero of Heading Home is not an individual at all; he is the essence of the American soldier. We cannot tell whether he returns from Normandy, from Saigon, from Beirut. In a sense, he has spilled his blood on all those fields of honor. Like all of us, the soldier walks the path of his life and finds himself under God's watchful eye, alone. He is bathed in a golden light that can only be called "heavenly." Like all God's children, his ultimate destination is a heavenly home, where he can know the sweet peace of divine love. We cannot know whether he is Heading Home to hearth and family, to the pleasures of domestic love and a joyful reunion, or whether he may be returning instead to the bliss of heaven, which is the perfection of those earthly pleasures. We can only wish him a joyful homecoming, and say a sublime word of thanks to the hero's of every generation!

The Greatest American Holiday is Almost Here

It’s almost the Fourth of July--a wonderful day of parades, family, fireworks, BBQ’s and the Red White & Blue. No other holiday is more American than the Fourth of July!

And what better place to be then Gettysburg? That’s right—I’m here for s series of very special events, including the Grand Opening of the “The Thomas Kinkade Cottage” at Boyds Bear Country.

Here’s part of my schedule for this Independence Weekend:

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - July 4th & 5th
The Folks at Boyds Bear Country are proud to announce the Grand Opening of "The Thomas Kinkade Cottage" at Boyds Bear Country. To celebrate this special event, they've got a whole weekend of events planned that you won't want to miss. More information at boydsbearcountry.com
Call (866) 367-8338 for tickets and details.

Harrisburg, PA - July 5th
Come to a very special afternoon at Kathie's Christmas for a personal appearance and signing event to celebrate the release of my latest Masterwork, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland. Space is limited!
Call (717) 561-2220 for more details.