Thomas Kinkade: 'Painter of Light' Dies at 54

[NYC_SKP]

1. I've been a critic for 25 years, since I first walked into his gallery in Carmel. He was a scammer.

Far worse than a commercial artist, hell, you have to make a living...

And it's said that one in twenty homes in America has a Kinkade print or something, somewhere-- it's pretty scenery, why not?

He was a scammer.

He perfected a way of selling very convincing prints as original art.

How, by running high quality prints on special textured stock, and then having "skilled craftsmen" add stipples of color, points of light (as it were).

These "originals" (prints with stipples) are sold as originals for thousands of dollars while ordinary actual prints, called "prints" are sold with prices in the hundreds.

Unknowing people walk into galleries and think they are buying actual Thomas Kinkade original paintings when they're just prints.

And that makes me angry and it cheapens the art world.

RIP, blessings on his family.