They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
This is a story about a picture worth four billion dollars.
It is the unbelievable true story of Thomas Kinkade, who grew an art empire from nothing but his talent, and I was there to witness it. It is a story of faith and the American dream, miracles and madness, addiction and greed in a business gone haywire; the most successful art business in the world. It is a story of one man, the Painter of Light, who painted cottages and trees, birds and brooks, glades and mountains, sunsets and oceans. You’ve seen his work in galleries and on calendars. He painted a world that does not exist; a world without trouble, a world without pain. A perfect world painted by one imperfect man, Thomas Kinkade, and it brought about his fall.
I worked closely with Thomas Kinkade for sixteen years. I was also his friend. Together we created a billion dollars in sales. And my experience of him is one I will never forget.
The story is still hard for me to tell. It’s strange for me to step out from behind the curtain to tell this extraordinary story, but I feel it must be told. It’s the story of a truly amazing rise to fame and fortune, the behind-the-scenes of which are hard to believe. It’s the story of one man whose life journey was a miracle, and whose dreams, despite all the money and success, slowly destroyed him. And it is a story of warning for us all—not to forget that we are only human.