Painter Of Light No More

Thomas Kinkade died today in California Friday at age 54.  He was both beloved and despised for his style, depending on which side of the fence you were on.  Fans loved his brilliant colors and fearless cheerfulness, critics often pooh-poohed his work as too repetitive (another bridge, really??) or surreal to the point of losing points.  It appears some folks can look at too many charming cottages and thoughtful waterfalls.

As for me, I loved the guy.  I thought his choice in colors were bold and dangerous in the hands of an amateur, and there was a constant theme in his paintings that I saw as a solid foundation, not a security blanket.  To each their own though, that's what makes art so darned neat.

He will certainly be missed, and as for saying he just wanted to make people happy... I think we can all agree he did that very well.