I don’t know what people saw in his art, but I suspect that many of his customers bought him because he was marketed as a Christian artist. It’s not as if his work is any more Christian than the landscapes or scenic vistas of other painters. Never mind that he had a drinking problem (I would bet a large sum of money that alcohol abuse was the direct cause of his death) and from accounts that have surfaced over the years that he can be very belligerent and rude. Ignore the questionable business practices of his art company, who have been criticized multiple times over the years by Kinkade Gallery franchisees for failing to disclose critical information to investors and forcing unsalable inventory on gallery owners. Somehow, the man’s art has ended up heavily promoted in every Berean store I’ve ever visited, and I can’t fathom why other than some brilliant marketing guy figured out there was a niche waiting to be exploited.
His death seemed to be very sudden and unexpected, and I really feel sorry for his family. Oddly, until his obituary ran in the newspaper I had no idea he was a local resident who lived only a few minutes away from my work.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kinkade.
