Art Notes

A small village nestled in a bucolic cove serves as haven to all who are weathering a storm. It may be rough seas that are battering a vessel filled with maritime wayfarers or it may be the turmoil of life that is working to break the individual spirit, but in either case this homey harbor offers peace and the refuge needed to rediscover direction. There is a message in this work that we should all take to heart. No matter how great the tempest, we never have to face it alone if we let the light guide us. This idea has never been as thoroughly and profoundly stated in my brother’s work than in this canvas, entitled Seaside Haven.

The lighthouse in the background serves to guide those lost at sea while the lightpost in the foreground brings the sojourner on foot in from the darkest night. And in between these two physical beacons stands the most powerful and important light of all. God’s light shines mightily in the small community church fronting the coast as it waves forward all those lost in life to find comfort inside. It is this more than anything that Thom wanted his collectors to understand. God is real and eternal while trouble is ephemeral and will pass as a morning mist does in the afternoon sun. “Stand fast against the storm,” he would say, “And let the light deliver you safely back into grace.” From my brother, and all those involved at the Thomas Kinkade Studios, we thank you for sharing the light.

– Patrick Kinkade