Since seminary I’ve been gathering books on art and trying to learn about a subject and discipline that escaped me for so long. I’m no expert, of course and have never claimed to know much. But there is art I like a lot and art I do not like.
For years I have bemoaned the artistry of Thomas Kinkade. When I picture the quaint, fairy-tale like house beside a perfect stream nestled among picturesque hills and vales full of glorious trees, I would decry such “precious moments-ness.”
But if I am honest -which is hard in matters of art – I must admit how much I would like to live in a place like that. Mainly because I want all the fairy tales to be true. There is not so deep inside of me a longing for all that he is trying to capture. I am sure it is not cool. And it is not technical. But if I were to stumble upon such a scene, I am sure it would bring me joy. And I cannot imagine for moment saying, “No, No, this is all wrong! Too perfect!”
Certainly, I cannot be alone. For even the most discriminating artists and critics would, if on a hike, be glad to come upon such a place and be glad to take tea in such environs.
Echoes and Stars 
Most of Thomas Kincade's paintings are frustrating to me…because when I see a painting that I appreciate, I want to beable to visit the place that is portrayed on the canvas.Several years ago I saw a beautiful sceneon a calendar; a quaint village on a serenelake, surrounded by mountains, a waterfall in the center of the town. It was Hallstatt, Austria…I wanted to go there! Later, I was on business in Munich and drove down to Salzburg and then to Hallstatt…just like the painting! I have been back severaltimes (not in the peak tourist season).I DO, however, like Kinkade's paintings of real places, like Carmel and San Francisco.
Matt, what's interesting is that Kincade supposedly paints these scenes as he imagines what the world would be like if the Fall had never happened. Consequently, if his depiction is at all accurate (and I grant there is room for dispute on that note) then it is a world that you SHOULD want to live in!By the way, Kincade's impressionistic work is actually really good.