had to laugh at this one...

Had to laugh. Free library had book by Thomas Kinkade. He was "painter of light" and I thought it innocuous enough. He had nice scenes and they made nice cards and there were faith things written with them. The book is him sharing wisdom  He said he attended university of CA Berkeley studying art and discovered they only taught how to make self centered art. So he asked, how can I do art that's for other people?Now I read about him. He had questionable business dealings. He was a cheater, was caught copping a feel. He died in a drunken stupor with a barbiturate in him as well as alcohol. Here his book is all about a graceful way of living and applying wisdom. Beahahahaaaaa. He died at 54.

Quotes by people about him I found online: 

"Painting.

Thomas Kinkade: the secret life and strange death of art’s king of twee"

"Drunken downfall of America's most loved evangelical artist whose works hung in twenty million homes: Thomas Kinkade was found dead after overdosing on valium and booze"

"In one instance, Kinkade urinated on a Disney character while yelling 'this one's for you, Walt''

"Kinkade also has struggled with a variety of issues -- some quite bizarre -- linked to alcohol abuse."

"Science Explains Why It's So Easy to Hate 'Painter of Light' Thomas Kinkade

Inside a team of researchers' quest to see what happens to people when they're exposed repeatedly to Kinkade's saccharine artworks."

"This story, as it should, mentions Kinkade's recent history of financial insecurity -- including a Chapter 11 filing on behalf of his company's Pacific Metro branch. Then, months later, there was a suspicion of DUI arrest. The Los Angeles Times reported that the FBI was investigating some of his investment practices."

"His life - and ultimately his death - was much less pious, and far-less glamorous."

"Published reports about the years leading up to the troubled artist's death paint a much different picture than the heavenly landscapes that earned Kinkade millions - it includes drugs, alcohol, 'territorial urination' and sexual harassment.""

Wikipedia:

"Kinkade was criticized for some of his behavior and business practices; art critics faulted his work for being "kitsch". Kinkade died of "acute intoxication" from alcohol and the drug diazepam at the age of 54."

"Kinkade has said the light that streams through his paintings is the light of Jesus. But some of his gallery owners have accused the artist of using shared Christian values to defraud them. They say he persuaded them to open galleries in areas that couldn't support them -- and then competitively undervalued his own paintings"

"Snow-Covered Lies: Thomas Kinkade Company Allegedly Sold Fake Art

Since "master of kitsch" Thomas Kinkade died, his company continues to sell new prints of snowy lawns and Disney characters. But a new lawsuit alleges they also advertised fraudulent paintings as Kinkade originals."

.".critics have called his work “unpleasantly artificial,” the “epitome of mediocre art” and something “normal people should recoil from.”

"A first glance reveals nothing inherently wrong with them; rather, they seem like the bland, inoffensive work you might find in three-star hotel lobbies or your grandmother’s dining room."

"Kinkade also used his Christianity to help explain his work; he likened the cheery glow ubiquitous in his works as the “light of Jesus.” On that note, bridges are a frequent subject, as are steps or grassy inclines leading through gated areas. Some of his paintings are visual depictions of Bible verses, such as “A Light in the Storm,” taken from John 8:12: “I am the light of the world.”"

But serious Christian artists didn’t want him either — they called his predictable, saccharine work “opium for the semi-spiritual Masses.” "

"Thomas Kinkade galleries, owned by his company. Part of its success was its calculated business model: selling as much as it could, in any way that it could. From holiday cards to mugs, it did it all. It even had a partnership with Lazyboy selling upholstered armchairs with the light-suffused illustrations."

Another article mentioned girlfriends outside his marriage and an instance of him groping a lady. 

But the different critics don't seem to hit on the real problem, as I see it. He was a liar. He proclaimed faith as a ruse. One source says the kinkade co is worth a billion or more by now. He was an Elmer Gantry!!

One source said people claimed they got saved or healed by looking at his art. God could, would use his art I think. But these people only helped him to lie, and others to believe the lies.

One source says "kitsch" is a German word for what is tacky. 

There is not, I believe, contrary to critics anything wrong with his paintings. They express peace, seeing a cottage in a wooded area, that is pleasant. But what is wrong with it is it didn't come from faith. Having scripture s with the paintings was all a ruse. He used that ruse to make money.