I want to live in your paintings

My heart feels heavy in an artistic way. An artist I admired so much growing up has passed away in California yesterday. Perhaps you have heard of him, Thomas Kinkade. Thomas was one artist I always felt I wanted to meet and sit down and have coffee with. In my mind, we would discuss his brush strokes, his inspirations, dreams, family and how his artwork inspired people such as myself. People admired his paintings so much and wanted to live in his cottages and towns he painted, that there is actually a real life town where the houses are built exactly like the ones in his artwork. One of my favorite things to look for in his paintings was the letter “K” which he so cleverly hid in all his paintings. I would spend a lot of time just exploring every brush stroke to find this gem. Here are some of his paintings to enjoy.

And finally, I leave you with my favorite painting of his. This painting I saw first at a mall as a teen where it all began. I saw this painting and just stood there for quite some time just taking in all its beauty as it stirred up my imagination. Having lived in a postcard life in Brazil where all I saw was blue skies, lots of sunshine and swaying palm trees, this was different. What would it be like to live in that painting? That cottage is so cute and feels safe. I want to be safe; a place where everything is going to be ok and there is sunshine in every corner of my little world.

“Who is this artist?”, I asked the sales lady.
“That’s Thomas Kinkade. Isn’t he great?”, she replied.
“Yeah. He sure is. How much is it?”, I knew the answer, but it was all that I could ask at the time. The sales lady told me the price and I turned back to the painting. Oh, how I wished I could afford this painting. I love oil painting so much and I had fallen in love with the beauty of how this artist painted a world I wanted to live in. It was unlike any other artist I admired, but this man painted with sensitivity and tranquility. Perhaps it was the way he always had a theme of sunlight in his paintings. In Brazil, that’s all I ever knew. There wasn’t a rare day that I didn’t see sunlight, maybe that’s why I gravitated to his paintings. I also love stone houses and a lot of his houses and cottages were made out of that. Gardens flowing with shades of purples, pink, yellow and blue hues would make even the pickiest gardener fall in love. Growing up as a child, sometimes my mom would take me to a huge house in Bala Cynwyd, PA where I would run around the stone house and amongst the gardens filled with flowers and butterflies. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was like being inside a Thomas Kinkdade painting. I still cherish those memories.

Years go by and I forget about the painting I wanted as a teenager. Now an adult, I own this painting. It’s a constant reminder to me to take time out of a busy life to relax, enjoy nature and know everything will be ok.

“In a world where there is so much darkness amongst the hearts of people who never saw light or had seen it and forgot what it felt like, Thomas Kinkade was able to be an advocate for light in his artwork to bring hope for those that needed it or still need it.” –JavaGirl’s Life quote

Blogger’s Note: I’ve been absent because I’m at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Adventure Boy had surgery this past Tuesday and we’ve been here ever since until he recovers completely to go home. I still find time to like, comment and read all your posts while I sit here in the hospital room. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Your stories, ideas, thoughts and pictures help make this time a little easier. I hope everyone is having a good and relaxing weekend. Talk soon.

Photo Credit: Thomas Kinkade