Where to begin? It’s been such a long time since I’ve shared significant news with you about Thomas Kinkade that I’ll just apologize up front for all the news that I have to share with you now. I’ve recently returned from a conference in California and am pleased to announce that although there is a lot to digest, I believe the company is on solid footing and has good plans to continue to strengthen the Thomas Kinkade legacy.
This year, the Thomas Kinkade Company has been acquired by Art Brand Studios, a division of Next Point Capital. Managing Partner, Mark Mickelson, has long standing ties to the Kinkade family and is “thrilled to partner with Nanette Kinkade and her family.” Nanette says “I look forward to my continued collaboration with the company through the Thomas Kinkade Museum, a non-profit organization established to educate and support artists pursuing the visual arts.”
In addition to having had the opportunity to visit with Nanette and the girls: Merritt, Chandler, Winsor and Everett, and to meet and chat with the new owner, I was able to get a sneak preview of some of the unfolding plans, much of which included the continuation of the Kinkade legacy with works
from a young Kinkade – Thom’s nephew, Zac Kinkade. Zac is working on a painting of Noah’s Ark. The study is displayed here with a planned release date in May 2015.
Zac has also been working on a new version of Snow White that features the seven dwarfs. He is currently studying where his uncle studied at the Art Center School of Design in Pasadena.
He has also been contributing to the Thomas Kinkade Studios with the River Queen and Winnie the Pooh along with other projects
The Disney® collaboration with the Thomas Kinkade Studios has been so successful that it is continuing with the new Cinderella movie. A series of 4 paintings are being released depicting specific scenes in the movie. These will be released in a very small edition size and you may have the opportunity to have matching numbers if you put your reservation in early enough. Stay tuned for additional information.
The Thomas Kinkade Company has released several pieces over the last few months, so if you missed those releases, check them out here:
Polar Express™; Beauty and the Beast II©; Little Mermaid II©; The River Queen; Valley Chapel; and Evening at Dodger Stadium™.
You will continue to see wonderful new, relevant releases from the Thomas Kinkade Company, many of which were masterminded and sometimes even pre-sketched by Thomas Kinkade himself. There are hundreds of sketches, studies, paintings and notes that are carefully inventoried in the Vault. Nanette Kinkade will continue to contribute as a strategic advisor, Patrick Kinkade (Thom’s brother and Zac’s father) will be the creative director along with the existing President, John Hastings and Executive Vice President, Mark Hill. This group will continue to bring us the legacy that Thom intended with a focus on faith, family and hope and a continuation of “Sharing the Light”.
