Kinkade has received numerous awards for his works, most recently the 1995 Paper of the Year Award and 1995 Artist of the Year from the National Association of Limited

Edition Dealers and the 1994 Collector Editions Award of Excellence. He was honored, along with idol Norman Rockwell, as a charter inductee into The Bradford International Hall of Fame for plate artists. He is regularly featured in well-known magazines and as a guest on popular TV network shows and radio talk shows throughout the country. Further, Kinkade's paintings have been the subject of two major art books, Thomas Kinkade: Painter of Light (Lightpost Publishing 1993) and Thomas Kinkade: Paintings of Radiant Light (Abbeville Press 1995). A soon-to-be-published book, Simpler Times, shares the artist's inspiring philosophy of a life based on family, home and faith in God. This philosophy undergirds all of Kinkade's art.

Thomas Kinkade grew up in Northern California in the small town of Placerville. Though the family did not have wealth, Kinkade often says they were "rich in the greatest form of wealth; a nurturing and affirming love." His first "collector" was his mother, who would frame his childhood drawings and use them to decorate the family home.

Kinkade studied art at the University of California at Berkeley, where his roommate was the now-renowned artist James Gurney. Gurney, famous for his Dinotopia creations, has collaborated with Thomas Kinkade, and the two remain close friends.

Kinkade furthered his studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Following their studies, Kinkade and Gurney set off on an artistic adventure, traveling coast-to-coast by rail, stopping in small towns and sketching, soaking up the color and learning about their subjects wherever they happened to be. The two gained the interest of a major art book publisher, and the artists became the authors of a well-received book in 1982: The Artist's Guide to Sketching.

It was while writing the book that Kinkade was retained as a background painter on the epic animated motion picture, Fire and Ice. Working 10-hour shifts on the movie, Kinkade painted some 600 scenic backgrounds in a two-year period, an experience Kinkade credits as being instrumental in the development of his romantic, light infused style.

In 1982, Kinkade married his childhood sweetheart, Nanette. Her support and encouragement is a major inspiration in his art, and he often pays tribute to her by hiding 'N's in his art or by painting her image among the people in a scene. They have three daughters -- Merritt, Chandler, and Winsor -- who also find their names and images included in their father's art.

A devout Christian and family man, Thomas Kinkade draws on personal experience for much of his artistic inspiration. Many of his scenes of peace, tranquility and nostalgia are based on family travels and memories. His art celebrates life, and it is through his art that he shares his vision of peace and hope with others.

At 4:20 pm on June 18th, 1997, Thom and Nanette were blessed with the arrival of Everett Christian Kinkade. Everett's name derives from both Gaelic and English roots and refers to "strength in the Lord." We join Thom in trusting that baby "Evie" always lives within the blessing of God's strength.