Artist Thomas Kincaid is shown in his plein air element, painting the iconic 18th hole at Pebble Beach in California. Notice how he incorporated a little movement in the water and changed the orientation of the buildings? That’s called artist’s prerogative. Photo provided.

By Darla McCammon
and DeeAnna Muraski
Guest Columnists

WARSAW — We hope you were able to take time to visit our local fair and the art displayed. An incredible amount of creativity and interesting perspectives. County fairs are a wonderful way to showcase the culture of a community — our American spirit. Which brings us to this week’s artist in our Art in America series.

Darla McCammon and DeeAnna Muraski

Poignantly, we turn to the 1980s, which literally started off with a bang with the 1981 assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan. Historically, the event is etched in our minds like the current assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, 43 years later. Both periods of time experienced vast divisions; however, the ’80s were more unified than what we encounter today.

Unity in the aspect of what we watched, what we listened to and how we connected. We only had access to a few radio stations, even fewer TV stations and no widely available internet. Because of that, we all tuned in to watch JR on “Dallas,” Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” Pa (Michael Landon) on “Little House on the Prairie,” “Monday Night Football,” “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties” and “Cheers.” With limited options, we most likely could find a connection and commonality for small talk. As opposed to today’s time, with more than 300 cable channels available and at least 10 streaming services (like Netflix) currently offering over 2,700 series. Additionally, movie releases were few and far between, which meant we all watched “ET” phone home and Marty McFly go “Back to the Future.”

Technological advances like the IBM personal computer and MS-DOS (operating system) helped us become more efficient and productive. Our artist this week took advantage of these advances to catapult himself to a universal super-stardom status that had not been encountered by artists previously.

William Thomas Kincaid III was born in 1958 in Sacramento, Calif. He briefly attended UC Berkley in California, then transferred to finish his degree at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., home of the famous Rose Bowl Parade and moniker of the “World’s Creative Capital.” His college connections helped him obtain a prestigious position painting backgrounds (700) for an animated film released in 1983 by 20th Century Fox. Initially, the film had a small following, which has grown with multiple remakes; thus, the main investors and creators of the film helped to broaden Kincaid’s influence at the time.

Married in 1982 to Nanette, his childhood sweetheart, who referred to him as Thom. She was an early inspiration for his artwork, which generally contained a hidden reference to Nanette, such as an engraved “T&N” heart on a tree or the “N” scrolled into the garden gate beckoning the viewer in.

A little more than 10 years later, Kincaid astutely trademarked his “Painter of Light” nickname, catapulting him to international artistic fame. This allowed him the impetus to be the most collected artist during his lifetime. The broad appeal of his art and access, allowed Kincaid to commercialize his artwork on a scale never experienced prior. His original artwork could now be experienced on night lights, pillows, air fresheners, teddy bears and even La-Z-Boy loungers. In a short 10-year time frame, his net earnings would top $15 million.

Kincaid was able to not only paint idealized scenes and seascapes but also infuse them with a luminescent glow from either within the confines of a cozy cottage or blasted by the sun’s rays across white-capped ocean waves. What Norman Rockwell did for the human character, Kincaid did for the home. We are immediately attracted to the romanticized view the paintings depict. His paintings were so attractive that in 2008 he secured an impressive partnership with Walt Disney Co. What initially started out as a commissioned piece to showcase Disney’s 50th anniversary ended up being artwork for a majority of Disney’s feature movies. Kincaid named them his “narrative panoramas” as the viewer was brought to the crux of the story in one scene with his trademark glowing details. Kincaid and Disney marketed these designs on T-shirts, coffee mugs, jigsaw puzzles, etc. Both of their kingdoms gained financially.

Unfortunately, the Painter of Light seemed to have a dark side to him. There is no question about Kincaid’s artistic talent, but his business management was tainted by lawsuits initiated on behalf of his gallery owners, citing the Kincaid Galleries required renters to carry too much unsaleable overhead in unprofitable markets, burying them in debt. Adding to the fray were rumors of alcohol and drug abuse, which seemed to solidify with a 2010 mugshot when he was arrested for driving under the influence. Sadly, after his downward spiral, he died in 2012.

While alive, Kincaid was very philanthropic, using his talent to fund a World Vision library and medical center in areas of extreme need. Habitat for Humanity received proceeds from several of his paintings. After Hurricane Katrina, he donated over $1 million to the foundation created by President George W. Bush to help the victims.

His death caused a tremendous sales spike of his artwork, which remains extremely lucrative 12 years later. There are over 100 Thomas Kincaid studios in the United States and as many internationally. He reinvigorated the art world, allowing struggling artists to realize the potential demand and market possibilities. Although the artist’s life has gone dark, his light lives on through his paintings, which still inspire and instill hope in the viewers.

“Artists Guide to Sketching” by Thomas Kinkade and James Gurney. Pick up his recently (2024) re-released book originally published in 1982 with Andrews McMeel Publishing. You can purchase through Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $24.99 new.

Warsaw City Hall. The current featured artist is Jackie Meier, a Grace College alumni. See vibrant and colorful landscapes and animals. The gallery is located at City Hall, 102 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. It’s located on the first floor and is handicapped-accessible.

Darla McCammon is an artist, columnist and author. DeeAnna Muraski is executive director of Operation Read USA Inc. Send an email to the mother/daughter team at [email protected].